Breaking the Barrier
by Myrcella
Summary: After a run in with strangers from another world, secrets are revealed, someone is kidnapped, and love sneaks into unlikely places. Pan/Vegeta
1. Everyday Life

Author's Note: This is my very first fanfic. It's Pan/Vegeta, which is a pretty bold starter fic I suppose. This couple is bizarre indeed, but I find myself enjoying them together. I prefer Bulma/Vegeta, but Pan/Vegeta seems to have more adventurous aspects to it since they both have that Saiya-jin thing going for them. Feedback would be wonderful, but leaving comments about my choice of coupling would be silly since no one is forced to read this. I apologize ahead of time if any characters get to be too out of character.

Disclaimer: I don't own Dragonball Z or anything related to it, unless you count action figures…

" " ~ talking

' '~ thinking

Chapter 1: Everyday Life

As she did almost every night, Pan Son pushed the window of her second story bedroom open and flew off into the darkness. Her destination was one she frequented, so she barely paid attention as she travelled. Instead, she thought back to the conversation she had with her parents earlier in the day.

Videl paced back and forth next to the table at which Pan sat, running her hands through her jet black hair. Gohan stood behind one of the table chairs, thrumming his fingers against the chair back.

Videl stopped walking and turned to her daughter as she spoke, "Pan, you know why we're down here. Again." Pan sat quietly. She knew what was coming.

"Panny, this is the fifth time this month a teacher has called about you. Things are getting out of hand. There's no reason for you to pick fights with your classmates. You know you're much stronger than any of them. If you're not careful, you could send someone to the hospital. Or worse," Gohan gave his follow-up, using his nickname for his daughter.

"Papa, I don't see what the big deal is. I never start any of those fights. The guys at school pick fights with me because they think I'm an insult to their manhood for being as strong as I am. And it doesn't help that both my grandpas were World Martial Arts champions. Would you prefer if I just didn't defend myself?" the demi-Saiya-jin retorted.

"You're seventeen, almost eighteen, dear. Fighting in school is a bit immature and I know you're better than that," Videl said, still raking her hands through her hair.

"I already told you, I was only defending myself," Pan repeated.

"You know those boys can't hurt you. You're a Saiya-jin," Gohan offered.

"So you just want me to sit there and take it? I don't think so," Pan crossed her arms across her chest and mumbled, "It's not my fault they were born weak."

"Trunks and Bra don't pick fights with people, and they're both more Saiya-jin that you are," her mother wagged a finger as she spoke. Pan's temper began to flare, but she attempted to contain it.

"Trunks and Bra both manage to play nice in school, so why can't you? Neither of them spend a bunch of time training just to beat up the boys in their classes," Videl lectured, her comment stinging her daughter. Pan leapt up, knocking her chair to the floor.

"Do you know why they don't get into fights? Because they're too busy chasing boys or girls. Bra doesn't like training, but it's not because she doesn't want to be stronger. And Trunks has gotten lazy. But I still don't see what the big deal is. I'm making the top grades in my class. My teachers like me, for the most part. The only time I get in trouble is when I'm defending myself, and most of my teachers have a hard time believing I'm capable of beating up a group of guys," Pan didn't yell, but it was obvious she was angry.

Gohan continued trying to play good cop, but Pan knew the routine. "Well Panny, your mother and I think you need to lay off the excessive training, maybe even try dating. I know you do well in school, but that's not going to mean anything if you get expelled for beating up your classmates."

"I'm not interested in any of the guys at my school. They're all weak and silly," she spoke evenly, but her anger only grew.

"You're far too picky, Pan. I know you wish you could find a Saiya-jin boy so you'd have someone to match up with you, so why don't you try dating Trunks?" Videl's comment stung Pan again. She knew Pan had always wished for a guy who could content with her strength and sharp mind. The only kind of boy Pan wanted was a Saiya-jin boy. There was even a time when Pan jokingly asked Gohan if she could find the Dragonballs to wish up a boyfriend. He laughed and told her she sounded like Bulma.

"Ha! Trunks is such a womanizer! Like I would date him!" she laughed.

"He's a nice boy, and he's set to inherit Capsule Corporation. He's got a lot going for him," Videl countered.

"He's weak and foolish." Pan gave her mother a Vegeta-like scowl. Videl sighed, exasperated, and threw her hands up in surrender.

"The whole point of this discussion is to keep you from fighting in school. If you don't want to date, you don't have to, but please Panny, stop getting in trouble," Gohan pleaded. He wasn't too keen on the idea of his little girl dating, but he hated seeing her get herself into trouble.

"I'll work on it, Papa, but I refuse to stand there and let them punch me in the face or something." With that, Pan made her way to her room. Once inside, she closed and locked her door, and collapsed on her bed. Soon, she fell asleep. When she woke, the sky was dark. The clock next to her bed read a little past nine. She traipsed into the bathroom, which connected to her room, and took a quick but thorough shower. Using her ki, she dried her body and ebony locks after stepping out of the bathroom. Pan looked in the mirror briefly. She kept the same hairstyle she had during her childhood. Bangs and straight hair that reached her shoulder blades. Her face showed no flaws. Bulma's advanced regeneration tank was to thank for that. She remained a tomboy even in high school, so she dressed herself in a loose pair of black track pants and a plain nay blue T-shirt. As she changed, she wondered where the fighting spirit her parents used to have disappeared to. She had always been told stories about how great a fighter her father was and how strong her mother was for a human. Her anger still burned and she needed to relieve some stress the only way she knew how. Sparring with the Saiya-jin no Ouji. She made quick work of her hair, pulling it back into a tight bun her grandma Chi-Chi taught her to make. It kept her hair out of the way in a fight. Then she slipped on a pair of tennis shoes, opened her window, and flew toward Capsule Corp.

Before she knew it, Pan reached her destination. She touched down next to the Gravity Room, which was already in use. It didn't take a genius to guess who would be in there. She brought her fist to the door, preparing to knock, but the door swung open before she had a chance. Of course he knew she was coming. Pan smirked before stepping inside.

In the middle of the Gravity Room, Vegeta stood with a towel around his neck. Not surprisingly, he wore only a pair of black spandex shorts and a pair of tennis shoes. His body glistened with sweat. The Ouji's incredibly toned form distracted Pan for a second before she caught herself. Yes, Vegeta was very good looking, but he was also married and had two children. She quickly dropped her gaze and closed the Gravity Room door. When she turned around, Vegeta had thrown his towel to the edge of the room and was beginning some stretches. Pan joined him. The pair stretched together in silence. When Vegeta finished, Pan stopped too and fell into a fighting stance.

"You're in a hurry today, brat," Vegeta observed. He took his own fighting stance.

"I had a bad day and need to relieve some stress," Pan answered.

"Then let's begin." Vegeta rushed her, but Pan was prepared. He aimed a punch for her face, but she ducked and kicked his legs out from under him. Vegeta caught himself with his left hand and kicked up, hitting Pan in the face and sending her into the wall. She recovered quickly and lunged at her sparring partner. She attacked him with incredible ferocity. Though he blocked all of her attacks, Vegeta found himself powering up to Super Saiya-jin to keep up with her. With deadly focus and accuracy, her barrage continued. However, the Saiya-jin no Ouji's Super Saiya-jin strength became too much for her. Soon her attacks began to slow and weaken. In her anger, she expended too much energy too quickly and was now paying the price. An hour later, Pan sported a variety of cuts and bruises all over her body. Her clothes managed to stay intact for the most part, only suffering a few tears here and there. Videl and Chi-Chi made sure Pan had very durable clothing since the Saiya-jin girl insisted on training.

Vegeta knew Pan was almost spent, so his pace slowed. With a fierce kick to the gut, he sent her flying into the wall, yet again. When she fell to the floor, she rolled over onto her back and stayed there, breathing heavily. Vegeta hovered over her fallen form, sweating and sporting his own wounds. Pan looked up in time to see a Super Saiya-jin fist flying at her. She rolled out of the way but stayed on the ground. He came at her again, but she couldn't move fast enough. He stopped his attack just short of her head when he noticed.

"Giving up, brat?" he mocked.

"If I could move, I would punch you right now Vegeta-sama," she laughed breathlessly. Vegeta smirked. She attempted to hit him anyway, but in less than a second, he was sitting on top of her, restraining her hands above her head. He smirked again.

"Maybe if you were a Super Saiya-jin, you'd actually stand a chance," he teased. Pan's face hardened. She wanted to become a Super Saiya-jin more than anything in the world. A growl escaped her lips. She struggled as best she could, but Vegeta's grip didn't weaken. He leaned in close, as if wanting to tell her something he didn't want anyone else to hear, even though they were the only two in the room. Pan forced away a blush.

"You'll ascend, so long as you continue training." If Pan's senses weren't as heightened as they were, she would have missed it. She had always trained with Vegeta, and he had never once said anything remotely close to this. A small smile formed on her lips and she whispered back, "thank you, Vegeta-sama."

"But that's only if you train with your Ouji," he added, leaning up but not moving from his position on top of the demi-Saiya-jin. He still hadn't powered down from his Super Saiya-jin state. Again, Pan found herself admiring him. When she was younger, she all but worshipped the ground he walked on, especially when she found out he was the Saiya-jin no Ouji. As she grew older, her hero worship didn't die down. She thought Vegeta was the greatest person who ever lived. But lately, she found herself thinking about him in other ways. She cursed her hormones. Of course he was completely gorgeous, but he was also completely off limits. There age difference never bothered her: she had always liked older, more mature men. However, she still felt ashamed for crushing on him. Pan hoped it turned out to be a silly infatuation. It was becoming increasingly difficult to hope for such things while Vegeta sat, half naked, on top of her. She quickly pushed all thought of him in that sense from her mind, knowing he would quickly realize something was up if she didn't. He titled his head slightly in confusion but quickly regained his composure.

Vegeta powered down, got off Pan, and went to grab his towel. Pan slowly stood, stretching the kinks from her body. She would definitely feel that in the morning. As the Ouji walked toward the control panel, Pan concocted an evil plan. As graceful as a feline, she pounced. Vegeta's guard had been dropped, and her attack was successful. She wrapped him in a hug from behind, and they fell to the ground. Shocked, Vegeta barely managed to stifle a grunt.

"Thank you again, Vegeta-sama! My stress is one hundred percent relieved, and I got one Hell of a workout," she said as she lay on top of him, still hugging him from behind as he lay on his stomach. He grunted and stood up, Pan still clinging to him. Her Son heritage showed clearly.

"Brat, you're going crazy on me." He peeled her off him and moved to face her, "Save it for your ascension."

Pan couldn't help but frown. Hugging Vegeta felt good, but it was wrong and there was no way he would ever hug her back. He misinterpreted her frown.

"Remember what I said earlier. Just keep training." she knew this was his attempt at comforting her. She forced a smile and moved away to finish her stretches. Vegeta watched her, momentarily hypnotized by her movements.

When he first started training Pan, she annoyed him, but he knew how much pride she held for her heritage and how badly she wanted to join the ranks of the Super Saiya-jin. He couldn't but admire at least that much about her. So, he took her under his wing. She hung on his every word and pushed herself as hard as she could. Pan's determination reminded Vegeta of himself. She definitely had Saiya-jin blood running through her veins. He watched her grow and mature. Over the years, she became very strong with a quick mind and an attitude to boot. Their fights were always interesting. Now, she was almost of age, and he couldn't help but notice her. It was silly to think he and Pan would ever share an intimate moment, but the thought passed through his mind nonetheless. For the first time ever, he cursed his pure Saiya-jin blood. Certainly it caused his interest in the younger Saiya-jin. Pan had it all though, intelligence, beauty, and strength. But he and Bulma had children together. Though he never fell in love with her, he decided to settle down with the aqua-haired genius in order to have offspring. Attractiveness didn't skip over Bulma, and she lived a life of luxury, which caused Vegeta to stay with her, even though he knew they would never have a real relationship together. Not in the normal way and certainly not in the Saiya-jin way. He choked down a frustrated sigh. Pan could only be his student, nothing else. He needed to keep it that way, or things might get out of hand. Besides, he didn't think it possible for Pan to be interested in him when there were men much closer to her age around, like Trunks.

Pan finished her closing stretches. She followed Vegeta out of the Gravity Room and he locked it up behind them. As he walked toward the house, Pan leapt into the sky.

"Good night, Vegeta-sama! I'll see you tomorrow!" She waved and sped away without looking back for a response.

"Good night, brat," he mumbled. Slowly, he walked into Capsule Corp. and up the stairs to the bathroom. He hoped his strange thoughts regarding his pupil would wash away with the sweat and blood. Instead, his thoughts insisted upon replaying a specific scene in his head. He sat on top of Pan, restraining her arms, but as soon as his mind started making clothes disappear, he shook his head. The images and thoughts of Pan were forced away as he finished his shower.

When Pan returned home, she quietly flew through the window and collapsed on her bed. She knew she needed a shower badly but was too tired to take one. It would have to wait until morning. Sleep overcame her quickly, thoughts of fighting, Super Saiya-jin, and Vegeta on her mind.

Since the next day was Saturday, Pan didn't worry about waking up early. When her eyes finally did slide open, her clock read 11:42 a.m. She rolled out of bed and immediately walked to the shower. Fifteen minutes later, she stepped out of the bathroom, squeaky clean. She glanced in the mirror and noted the bruises on her body and the bags under her eyes. Nothing a Senzu Bean couldn't fix. After rummaging through her dresser drawers for a moment, she produced a tiny brown bag containing the Senzu Beans Vegeta made her keep. The bean quickly found its way into her mouth and down her throat. It was hard, chalky, and tasteless, but she could instantly feel it working its magic. Her bruises and bags disappeared. Pan felt energized.

"Pan! Lunch is ready!" Videl yelled up the stairs for her daughter. Pan's stomach rumbled loudly at the mention of food. She dressed herself in a black wife beater and baggy olive green pants. Her trademark orange bandana was fastened on her head. Then she all but ran to the kitchen, eager to fill her starving stomach. Gohan was already eating. Pan sat next to him and began shoveling all the food she could down her throat. She was by no means a messy eater, the regal Vegeta-sama wouldn't have it, but she ingested a very large quantity of food. When she finished, she hugged and kissed Videl, thanking her for lunch, before bounding toward her room. Before she reached the door, Videl called out to her from the stairs.

"Pan, what are your plans for the day?" she asked.

"I'm going to train with Vegeta-sama, like I do every Saturday," she answered.

"Don't let him work you too hard. He's much too strong to be fighting with a young lady," Videl worried.

"I'll be fine, Mama. He knows my limits." She could hear her mom walking the rest of the way up the stairs. Her eyes rolled briefly before Videl made an appearance.

"Well, you know I don't care for Vegeta. The only reason I let you go is because your father trusts him."

"Vegeta-sama isn't a bad guy, Mama. And he's a great teacher."

"He's a dangerous man, Pan. Who knows what would happen if he let his temper get the better of him."

"Mama. He's fine. Please trust me. I won't let anything happen."

"I'm not worried about what you might do, dear. I'm worried about what he might do."

Pan sighed. Her mother's fear of Vegeta seemed ridiculous. Sure he was rough on her, but it was only to make her stronger. Vegeta was her idol. His ability to go Super Saiya-jin made her idolize him even more. She hugged Videl again before entering her room and closing the door behind her. Pan went about her routine of pulling her hair into a bun and putting her tennis shoes on. This time, she left her beloved bandana on her head. Instead of leaving though the window, Pan walked out the front door and flew to Capsule Corp.

When she arrived, the Gravity Room wasn't on. That struck her as incredibly odd. Maybe Vegeta broke it. She ventured into the Briefs' home, looking for her sensei. He was found in the kitchen, attempting to cook lunch and failing miserably. Pan snickered. Vegeta's swung around as he turned to glare at her.

"What's so funny, girl?" he seethed. Pan's laughter stopped abruptly.

"Nothing, Vegeta-sama. I just thought you knew how to cook," she answered.

"I am the Saiya-jin no Ouji. I shouldn't have to cook. I should be training right now."

"Well, _Ouji-sama_," Pan gave a mocking curtsey, "let me cook for you. Grandma Chi-Chi taught me a thing or two."

Vegeta grunted and sat down at the table, letting Pan take over. She made him shrimp stir-fry. He devoured the meal.

"Was it adequate, my Ouji?" Pan teased.

"Better than the garbage the woman cooks, but that doesn't mean much," he stood up, leaving the dishes on the table, "now why don't you be a good little peasant and clean up this mess."

Pan growled but attended to the dishes. She only had to put them in the sink since Bulma had built cleaning bots, but Vegeta found it amusing, which irritated Pan. When she finished, the two travelled to the Gravity Room to begin training. He walked to the controls to set the gravity to 800 times Earth's gravity. Bulma constantly worked on the Gravity Room. It was her pride and joy, right up there with the Dragon Radar, and it was capable of sustaining much more than 800 times Earth's gravity. This was just the warm up.

"Now I will teach you to respect your Ouji," Vegeta smirked and attacked, skipping preliminary stretches completely. Pan's guard never had a chance to go up as Vegeta kicked her squarely in the chest. She hit the wall, gasping for breath. He gave her no recovery time. Vegeta fiercely attacked Pan, pummeling her with a variety of punches and kicks. It was time to push her.

"You're never going to reach Super Saiya-jin at this rate. You haven't even hit me once." He crossed his arms over his chest. Pan stood shakily. She tilted her head and spat out a mouthful of blood. Vegeta was beginning to cross the line. The other day he said all she needed to do was keep training to ascend, and now here he was, berating her. How ridiculous. A feral growl rumbled for her lithe form. She flew at him with as much vigor as she had the previous night. Vegeta preferred it this way. She made battling so much more exciting when she fought solely off instinct. Even though she would never be able to beat him, their heated battle managed to excite him. He went Super Saiya-jin to finish teaching her a lesson. She couldn't get over how wonderful the Ouji looked in that state and hoped she would look just as beautiful when she ascended. She would ascend. She had to. She needed to show Vegeta she wasn't weak and useless. Saiya-jin blood coursed through her veins. If Trunks could do it, she could definitely do it.

"Don't lose focus on me, girl," Vegeta gave her an uppercut to remember, "Super Saiya-jins never lose focus."

He continued to push it. Why did he have to bring it up? He knew better than anyone how hard she tried. The barrage of attacks on Pan continued. She knew there wasn't any chance of her winning, but she wanted so badly to stick it to her sensei. Her attacks became restless, desperate even. Vegeta dodged each of her attacks with ease.

"Come on, brat. I thought you told me you wanted to ascend. Trunks and Goten managed it as mere children, and here you are, a woman, and still aren't anywhere close. Maybe you should just give up." He continued to dodge her attacks. A loud cry of frustration came from Pan as her strikes continued. Vegeta was too fast, too strong. She would never catch him. She couldn't catch any of them. Trunks and her Uncle Goten had been Super Saiya-jins for what seemed like forever. Even her bookworm of a father could do it. It was in her blood. She was a Saiya-jin, so why couldn't she do it? Why did she have to train so hard and get nothing? Why not just give it all up?

Because of him. She wanted to show Vegeta she could do it. She wanted to prove herself. Failure was not an option. He would be proud of her, even if it killed her. Sweat poured down her face. She locked eyes with Vegeta as she fought him. In them he saw her raw determination, her incredible desire to show everyone what she was capable of. In that instance, she looked more Saiya-jin than anyone he had ever met. He wanted to help the brat ascend and was pushing her to her limits.

"I see. You really just don't want it. You'd rather play games," he caught her arm mid-punch and tossed her across the room, "instead of training. We can stop now, since you don't seem to care."

She yelled out, "I'm not playing around!" She lunged at him, "I will be a Super Saiya-jin! I have to!"

He smacked her away. Pan jumped back at him in an instant. He saw her eyes flash from black to teal and back again. Almost there. Just one more good push. As Pan went in to hit Vegeta in the face, the Gravity Room beeped. The gravity reduced to normal, catching Pan by surprise. Vegeta, used to intrusions, caught Pan as she overexerted her punch and fell clumsily. Bulma appeared at the doorway.

"What is it, woman?" Vegeta pushed Pan back to her feet, and she mumbled words of thanks under her breath.

"Gosh, Vegeta, I figured you'd be glad to know dinner is ready," Bulma pouted. Vegeta rolled his eyes.

"Could you not wait? We were in the middle of training."

"You _always _train. I'm sure you won't be missing out on much. Besides, you've gone and beat the snot out of Pan there."

"I'm fine, Mrs. Bulma." Pan forced a smile.

"I think you're being too rough on her. You were never this bad with Trunks," Bulma spoke again to Vegeta.

"It's none of your concern. She is a Saiya-jin and can handle it just fine." He crossed his arms over his chest.

"She's more Chikyuu-jin than Saiya-jin, Vegeta."

"No matter. If she didn't enjoy this training, she wouldn't be here still. That's why the boy left."

"Pan, honey, you're crazy." With that, Bulma left. Pan laughed loudly. Vegeta's brow arched.

"And what, exactly, is so funny?" he asked.

"I guess I am crazy, training with you, Vegeta-sama," her laughing didn't stop.

"You can always quit."

"No way! I _will_ be a Super Saiya-jin. All I have to do is keep training." She smiled and left the way Bulma did, her anger completely melted away. Vegeta allowed a chuckle to escape before following Pan inside for dinner. She had certainly caused him to work up quite the appetite. He only prayed that Bulma wasn't the one who cooked the meal.

When Pan and Vegeta made it into the kitchen, Bra, Trunks, and Bulma were already seated at the table. Goten stood at the stove, apparently visiting and volunteering to cook dinner.

"Uncle Goten!" Pan smiled her inherited Son grin.

"Hey, Pan-chan!" Goten's grin mirrored Pan's.

"I can't wait to eat! That smells great!" Pan sat in an open seat next to Bra, across from Bulma and Vegeta.

"Ugh. Pan, you and Daddy smell terrible." Bra scrunched her nose.

"Oh, sorry. I didn't realize how sweaty I'd gotten. Do you think I could use your shower really quick before dinner?" Pan's face reddened in embarrassment as she asked. Trunks chuckled.

"Yeah, sure. I'll lay out some of my clothes for you to wear, too. We wouldn't want you putting those sweaty things back on."

The two girls excused themselves from the table and went to Bra's room. Pan immediately grabbed a towel, left the room, sprinted to the bathroom, stripped down, and hopped in the shower. After a quick scrub down, she reemerged and sprinted to Bra's room, wrapped in a towel. She dried herself with her ki. When she walked over to Bra's bed, she saw the clothes her friend laid out for her.

"Wonderful," she mumbled. The only difference between Pan and Bra at this age was height. Pan was almost half a foot shorter than Bra. Her friend had chosen black skin tight jeans and a blood red spaghetti strap shirt for Pan to wear. She grudgingly put the outfit on. However, she was thankful Bra had given up some clothes. She was a good friend. Pan rolled up the pant legs as best she could before making her way back to the kitchen. Before she made it around the corner, she stopped. They were talking.

"So, Father, has Pan-chan made any progress?" Trunks asked.

"Of course she has, boy," Vegeta barked.

"Well, I figured she'd be a Super Saiya-jin by now. I mean, how long has she been training with you?"

"Be quiet. I'm certain she could defeat you with one hand tied behind her back," Vegeta mocked. Bra giggled.

Bra couldn't help but join in, "yeah, Trunks, Pan is really strong, even if she hasn't become a Super Saiya-jin yet. Besides, Daddy is training her, so it's only a matter of time."

"Shut up, Bra. You always take Father's side," Trunks grumbled.

"That's because I'm always right, brat." Bulma rolled her eyes at the Ouji's comment. Goten laughed nervously. It was then Pan chose to enter. Bra looked up and whistled, "Looking good, Pan-chan!"

Pan blushed but continued to her seat. She noticed Vegeta had cleaned off and changed as well. He wore a pair of navy blue sweat pants, but that was it. As she passed, she bumped Vegeta, muttering apologies afterwards and fighting off another blush. Vegeta tried to ignore the odd shiver her touch sent up his spine. After all, he had touched her plenty of times while training.

"Kami, Pan! Red is definitely you're color!" Bra continued. Pan grumbled.

"I swear, one of these days you're going to let me take you shopping and I'm going to buy you so many cute outfits!" Bra's excitement was too much. Trunks and Goten laughed. Vegeta had to admit, though not aloud, that Pan was certainly easy on the eyes. Her body was well toned from years of strict training, and she possessed an exotic beauty as a result of her mixed blood. He covered his small lapse of thought by asking, "Why is my food not done?" Goten jumped.

"It's almost done, just a few more minutes." He set up plates at everyone's places.

"I'm so glad Grandma Chi-Chi taught you to cook, Uncle Goten." Pan's stomach growled in agreement.

"All right everybody! It's done!" Goten put food on everyone's plate, though the rations were far from equal. He had grilled dinosaur meat and mixed it with a variety of vegetables before adding Grandma Chi-Chi's secret sauce. It tasted great. Vegeta finished first and disappeared from the kitchen. When everyone else finished, Bra piped up, "Pan-chan! You should stay the night." Pan smiled.

"I'll have to call Papa and ask first." She stood from the table and grabbed her and Vegeta's plates and deposited them in the sink.

"I'll call him for you, Pan. I'm sure I can get a yes out of him. Goten, you're more than welcome to stay, too," Bulma offered.

"Thanks, Mrs. Bulma." Pan gave her a smile before she and Bra took off.

"Sorry, Bulma, but Mom wants me home tonight. I was gone last night and she gets lonely without Dad around," Goten politely declined.

"I understand. Well, tell your mom I said hi and have a good night, Goten." Bulma waved.

"I will. Thank you. Later, Trunks!"

"Bye, Goten." Trunks stood and walked to his bedroom.

On the way, he passed Bra's room and heard Pan and his sister talking. He stayed for a listen.

"Okay, Pan, you can't laugh if I tell you something," Bra mandated.

"Alright, shoot." Pan sat cross legged on Bra's bed, waiting for a reply.

"Well, I have this crush on this guy, right. But he's kind of older than me," Bra admitted while nervously running a hand through her long aqua hair. She kept it long, but fashioned lengthy bangs in the front that reached her jaw, courtesy of her mother's hair stylist.

"Let me guess, you have a crush on my uncle Goten," Pan jested.

"Well, yeah, but don't tell anyone!"

Pan smirked, "Does Vegeta-sama know you're crushing on the spawn of Kakarott?" She impersonated Vegeta as best she could when mentioning her Grandpa.

"Yes, actually. I talked to Daddy about it a week ago. He was a little upset, but I'm his little Princess, so he couldn't stay mad. Instead, he told me it was completely acceptable for a Saiya-jin girl to like an older Saiya-jin guy. Age gaps don't really matter."

"That's great, Bra!" Pan forced the lump in her throat down.

"So come on, Pan-chan, spill the beans! I know you like someone, too. You have to!" Bra waggled her eyebrows suggestively. Pan couldn't help but blush.

"Ah ha! I knew it!" Bra shot her fist in the air triumphantly, "now tell me. I told you! So you have to tell!"

"I'm not one hundred percent sure if I like this guy, but he's older, too. Let's just leave it at that."

"Well, is he cute? At least tell me that much."

"Cute isn't a good enough word for it, Bra. The man is gorgeous." Bra fell off her bed laughing at Pan's comment.

"Pan-chan, you are too much sometimes," she gasped. Trunks' heart jumped in his throat. Pan wanted an older guy? Was she talking about him? He had been crushing on Pan for a couple years. If she actually liked him back, now was his chance! He quickly slipped into his own room, forming a plan on the way. Bra giggled as she picked herself up off the floor, "You'll tell me who this mystery man is someday, won't you?"

"Ugh. I don't know, Bra," Pan sighed.

Vegeta took his own turn walking by Bra's door to make it to his bedroom. He had taken a quick flight around to clear his head from earlier. When he heard giggling, he paused for a moment. Like father, like son.

"You can't do that to me, Pan-chan!" Bra complained.

"This guy is way out of my league. He's older than me. And not like Trunks and Uncle Goten older. _Older._ But not grandpa-looking. I don't think things will be working out the way I want, but lately, that's just how my life has been working." Pan lay back on the headboard of her friend's bed.

"Aw, Pan. Don't be like that. You have to fight for what you want!"

"Bra, that barely works for me in training, and it definitely doesn't work with anything else."

"It works a lot more than you think. I was at the mall today and couldn't help but notice your ki, from all that way. I thought you had made it to Super Saiya-jin for a while there!"

"Thanks Bra," Pan smiled, "it's good to hear someone compliment me on my training."

"Daddy thinks you're doing well, 'cause if he didn't, he wouldn't train you. I mean, you're related to Goku and Daddy still trains you. You must be doing something right!"

Bra playfully punched Pan in the arm.

"Thanks, Vegeta-sama is a good teacher, too. He doesn't go easy on me like Papa. I would have been old and wrinkled by the time I reached Super Saiya-jin if I kept training with Papa. But I can feel it, Bra. It's so close!" Pan punched the air in emphasis.

"See? Daddy's the best teacher around!"  
"Definitely, Vegeta-sama is the greatest. I just hope I look as awesome as he does when I turn Super Saiya-jin."

Bra laughed. Vegeta decided to continue to his room. 'At least the brat knows who the better teacher is,' he thought. He became so caught up in their praise that he forgot what it was exactly about their conversation that caught his attention in the first place. He lay down on his bed, staring at the ceiling. Bulma wouldn't come to bed anytime soon, for she had told him she was going out with friends. He knew she'd probably be with Yamcha, but he didn't care.

Okay, well that was the first installmant. Let me know what you think. This story will take a while to evolve, but please be patient. Character development is important to me.

Until next time,

Myrcella :)


	2. Expect the Unexpected

Author's Note: Here I am again. Like I mentioned before, this story will be progressing slowly. I intend for it to be fairly lengthy. Reviews and possibly a beta-reader would be wonderful 

And just in case anyone was wondering about the odd mix of English and Japanese, it's not an accident.

" "~talking

' '~thinking

Chapter 2: Expect the Unexpected

"Bra, I'm bored. Come train with me," Pan moaned, laying on her friend's bed with her head hanging over the edge.

"Don't be silly, Pan. You know I don't like training," Bra chuckled.

"Aw, come on! You're a Saiya-jin, Bra. Don't you feel that itch to get stronger?"

"Sometimes, but the itch to find a new outfit is stronger."

"You're hopeless. I'm going to work out. You're more than welcome to join me."

Pan hopped off the bed and left. 'I swear, all that girl does is train,' Bra thought. She got up and walked to the living room, intent on watching a movie. She picked a film, made a Saiya-jin-sized bowl of popcorn, and lounged on the couch. Silently, she wished a certain member of the Son family was watching the movie with her.

Pan made a stop by the laundry room to grab her training clothes that Bulma had kindly washed for her earlier. She changed and left for the Gravity Room. A set of eyes watched her as she crossed the yard to the spherical training room. Once inside, Pan set the gravity to the standard 800 times that of Earth's normal gravity before stretching and beginning her workout. Pushups came first, one thousand using both arms, then one thousand with each arm individually. She then did five thousand sit-ups. After she felt ready, Pan began a series of kata Vegeta taught her. Bra was over halfway through her movie before Pan got down to her actual training. The ebony haired demi-Saiya-jin increased the gravity by 200 before calling out the training bots for a real workout.

By this time, Bulma had created bots that would actually fight back instead of simply deflecting ki blasts, so Pan needed to stay on her toes. They were nowhere near as fierce as the Saiya-jin no Ouji, but they were a challenge. Her workout began. Slowly, she began to tire. 'I think I put out too many bots,' she thought begrudgingly as she was tossed into the ceiling for the hundredth time by her own ki attack. She let the gravity pull her back to the ground before sending a flurry of punches, kicks, and energy-based attacks at all the bots at once. A particularly gutsy droid lunged at her. She jumped over it. A familiar unfriendly beep sounded as she leapt. The gravity returned to normal and Pan, having put so much force behind her jump to compensate for the gravity, launched herself upward, smacking her head on the ceiling. The door slid open.

"Kami damn it!" Pan rubbed her aching head. She turned to the door to give the idiot who opened it a piece of her mind.

"Hey, Pan-chan! You might want to be more careful in here." Trunks stepped into the room.

"Oh, hi Trunks," she grimaced, "try knocking next time."

"You were working pretty hard tonight."

"Yeah, but she's all yours now." Pan made to leave, but Trunks caught her arm.

"Stay, Pan-chan. I just got here."

"No thanks, I was almost done anyway." She tried to leave a second time, but the lavender haired young man didn't release her. He pulled her to him.

"Let go, Trunks." She gave a warning growl and felt her ki rising.

"Don't be like that, Pan-chan. I heard you talking to my sister about me. I know you like me."

Pan choked on a laugh. "You obviously misheard me."

"I know she's into Goten, and I know you're into an older guy, and I also know you want someone who can keep up with you."

"Trunks let me go, now."

"You don't have to hide it anymore. It's okay, because I like you, too."

Pan blanched. In her silence, Trunks leaned down and captured her lips in a gentle kiss. Her ki skyrocketed in her anger. His grip tightened as he tried to deepen the kiss. She struggled but didn't have enough strength left to break free. She cursed her need to train. When she shook her head violently to break the kiss, he used his other arm to secure her head in place, and pulled her close. Trunks stopped assaulting her lips and moved down her neck, planting kisses along the way. He had purposely waited for her to tire herself out and knew he had full control.

"Trunks, if you don't stop, you'll regret it," she spoke through clenched teeth.

"Just relax, Pan-chan. I know you want this as much as I do." He pulled his head back up for another kiss. Pan took advantage of the opening and smashed her already aching head into his face. The force of the blow knocked him down to the ground, but he didn't stay down long. Trunks lunged and tackled Pan. He sat on top of her and restrained her hands above her head. A short memory of Vegeta with her in the same position flashed through her mind. She pushed it away. She needed to concentrate. When she regained focus, she glared up at Trunks just in time to see a ki blast hit him in the side, sending him tumbling across the room. Pan looked to the origin of the blast and saw Vegeta standing in the doorway of the Gravity Room. He was still only in a pair of sweatpants.

"Vegeta-sama!" Pan stood up and rushed to the Ouji.

"Stay back, Pan." Vegeta's tone was low and deadly. He had to be serious since he used her actual name. He stepped all the way into the room and pushed Pan behind him.

"Tell me, boy," Trunks was back on his feet, glaring at his father as the Ouji spoke, "what exactly were you doing?"

"Pan and I were just having fun. Isn't that right, Pan-chan?" he tried making eye contact with the hidden eyes of Pan. She stuck her head around Vegeta and shot a glare at Trunks he would never forget.

"It seems to me you were the only one having fun." Vegeta used all his willpower to keep from killing his son. He was glad Pan's ki spikes woke him up, but he couldn't stand seeing his son's hand all over her. It disgusted him. Another feeling reared its ugly head, but he pushed it back, knowing he had no right to be jealous.

"It's none of your business, Father."

"She's _my _pupil. It most certainly is my business," he growled possessively.

"Pan and I were just having some after training fun."

"You wish, pervert!" Pan spat from her place behind Vegeta.

"Don't be that way, Pan-chan. You know that's not what you were saying earlier," Trunks tried to sway Pan for fear of receiving a beating from his father.

"Yeah, that's why I hit you the first chance I got and bloodied your nose." Pan grew irritated quickly by Trunks' innuendos.

"You know I like it rough."

Pan almost fell over in her shock. What did he just say?! She stepped around Vegeta, hands drawn in tight fists. Her knuckles turned white and her fingernails cut into her palms.

"You want rough? I'll show y--," her previous adrenaline spike had been the last of her energy. Her overexerted body shut down. Pan fell to the ground midsentence, unconscious. Vegeta couldn't help but chuckle. She used the last of her strength to threaten Trunks. She was definitely a Saiya-jin.

"She would have gone easy on you, boy, but I won't." The Ouji propelled himself toward Trunks, going Super Saiya-jin along the way. As Vegeta tore into his son, Bra stepped into the room. She had felt random ki spikes from the three Saiya-jins in the room during the end of her movie. Originally, she chalked it up to training but after a while realized there was no way that was it. When she walked into the Gravity Room, she found Pan on the floor, unconscious, and her dad and brother in the middle of the room fighting. Well, it wasn't much of a fight. In her anger, Bra flared her ki, something the young Hime rarely did. Both males turned to her.

"I can't believe you guys! Look at Pan! And instead of helping her, you're fighting! This is why I refuse to train!" Bra picked Pan up off the ground and carried her back into Capsule Corp. to tend to her wounds. When Bra made it into the Medical Wing of the building, she set Pan down on a bed. Pan stirred.

"Vegeta-sama?" she whispered as she came to.

"Don't move, Pan. You're injured."

Pan moaned. Her body already ached.

"Just let me dress your wounds, but you can still tell me what happened." Bra brought ointment and bandages to the table, making quick work of her friend's wounds.

"Well, I was training by myself, then your brother came in," Pan paused. She didn't want to tell her what Trunks had done. Bra loved her brother and it would ruin their relationship, "He fought me. Then Vegeta-sama ran in and fought Trunks because I was too tired to keep going. Then I guess I passed out. I don't even remember you coming in. How long have I been out?"

Pan told the truth to her friend, just not the _whole _truth. She had fought Trunks in a way, and the only reason she let Vegeta take over was because she was too weak.

Bra interrupted Pan's train of thought, "You were only out for like ten minutes. Daddy and Trunks are probably still fighting."

Bra finished with Pan quickly. She had a knack for medicine and had bandaged Trunks and Goten on countless occasions. She blushed slightly as she thought of touching Goten's bare skin.

Before Pan had a chance to ask her what she was blushing over, Vegeta burst into the room, Trunks hanging over his shoulder. He none too gently laid his son on a bed.

"Daddy! Be nice to Trunks, you know he can't beat you," Bra pouted.

"He'll be fine, Bra, just leave him there to rest," Vegeta rasped. Trunks' injuries weren't life threatening, but Vegeta had made sure the boy learned a lesson. The Ouji didn't have a single scratch on him.

"These two will be fine, you can leave now. Get some sleep," Vegeta ordered. Bra looked hesitantly at her friend.

"I'll be fine, Bra, really, go get some sleep. We'll do something fun tomorrow, I promise," Pan spoke through a forced smile. Nothing against Bra, but she was really tired and in no mood to smile and be happy.

"Okay, Pan-chan, but I get to pick what we're doing!" Bra skipped out of the room, but not before hugging her father briefly.

"You didn't tell her, did you?" Vegeta asked knowingly.

"She loves Trunks. I'm not going to ruin that kind of sibling relationship," Pan whispered.

"Well, the brat got all his frustration out. He's always watched you, but never acted, so why would he now?"

"He overheard Bra and I talking. She told me she likes Goten, and asked me who I like. I told her I like someone older, too, but never gave a name. Trunks assumed it was him. I guess that was enough of an invitation for him."

"Hn. Well, he shouldn't be bothering you anymore. Get some sleep, brat." Vegeta made to leave. Pan jumped off her bed and winced, almost collapsing to the ground. Vegeta spun around.

"What are you doing, you crazy girl?"

"I'm not sleeping in the same room as him. And besides, these beds hurt my back," she motioned to Trunks as best she could with one hand while rubbing the small of her back with the other as she talked.

"Do you not trust me when I say it won't happen again?" Vegeta looked down at her.

"It's not that. I don't trust what I'll do to him, and Bra would be really mad if she woke up and found her brother dead."

Vegeta chuckled, "If you sleep with Bra, you won't get proper rest. She'll keep you up all night talking about Kakarott's boy, no doubt."

Before she could argue, Vegeta picked her up bridal style and carried her from the room. When Pan realized where he was taking her, she gasped.

"Vegeta-sama, this is your room," she pointed out.

"Yes, I'm aware," was his only reply.

"The one you share with Mrs. Bulma."

"Again, I'm aware."

"How are all three of us going to fit it one bed?"

"The woman isn't home. She rarely is. She either works in that lab of hers or leaves with her friends."

"What will she think when she comes home?"

"She can't think anything poorly of me. I know who she visits."

Pan knew, too. Bulma definitely spent too much time with Yamcha. Vegeta set her on the bed. Pain shot up her back and she winced. It was an unusual pain, but she assumed it had to do with her training. Vegeta frowned. He turned around and walked into the bathroom, intent on taking his second shower of the day. Pan looked at the bed stand clock. It read midnight. She sighed and stared at the ceiling, her mind on the day's events. It would be hard for her to look at Trunks the same way. What he did was inexcusable and it would take her a long time to forgive him. Her thoughts drifted to Vegeta, her hero. If he hadn't shown up when he did, well, she didn't want to think about it. She allowed a smirk to cross her lips as she recalled him carrying her to his room. His bare chest touching her, his firm, toned muscles wrapped in bronzed skin. A wave of pain shot up her spine again, ruining her wonderful thoughts. She bit her lip until it passed. The bathroom door suddenly swung open, revealing a wet Vegeta covered only in a towel. The teenaged Saiya-jin couldn't help but stare. He walked to the closet and grabbed a pair of boxers and shorts before returning to the bathroom. The second time he emerged, he was completely dry and in a pair of shorts. His gravity-defying hair seemed silky. Pan found she wanted to run her hands through it. She quickly suffocated the thought. He lay down next to her, but the bed had plenty of space between the two.

"Thank you for helping me. I don't know what would have happened if you hadn't come," she trailed off.

"The boy has no sense of honor, attacking you when he knew you were worn out from training. But if you had been stronger, you wouldn't have needed my help," he answered.

"I know, Vegeta-sama, and I'm trying, I really am." He could tell she held a frown on her face and recalled the conversation he overheard her having with Bra. He wanted to tell her how well she was doing, but his pride didn't allow it. However, Pan seemed to pick herself up in a very Goku-like fashion, "But I'm just going to have to train harder! I can feel that Super Saiya-jin power now!"

She threw a punch in the air, wincing slightly as she did. Vegeta smirked in the dark.

"Rest, brat, there will be time for that tomorrow," he commanded.

"Okay, good night, Vegeta-sama." Pan rolled over and fell asleep shortly afterward. When he knew she was sleeping, Vegeta whispered, "Good night, brat." He fell asleep soon after.

Throughout the night, Pan tossed and turned. Vegeta woke up countless times, believing he heard his name, only to find a certain ebony haired Saiya-jin rolling all over the place. A thin sheen of sweat covered her body. 'Perhaps her wounds gave her a fever and she's sweating it off,' he thought. He put a hand to her forehead, and it felt normal, just sweaty. Pan gritted her teeth, an expression of pain clearly etched on her face. What happened to her? Was she having nightmares about Trunks? Should he wake her up? Pan's body suddenly relaxed. She pushed the covers from her body, too hot, even in sleep, to stand it. When she rolled back over and lay motionless for a few minutes, the Saiya-jin no Ouji fell asleep himself. An hour later, Vegeta awoke to someone touching him. He looked over and saw Pan shivering and huddling toward the promised heat of his body. He rolled his eyes. That's what she got for working up a sweat and kicking off the covers. Vegeta rolled her over and made to pull the covers back over her, but he stopped dead in his tracks. Something fuzzy was wrapped around his waist. How he hadn't noticed it before was beyond him. He observed it more closely. Long, brown, fuzzy, yes, Pan definitely regrown her tail. But why? No one else had regrown their tail. Maybe it had something to do with all her intense training and closeness to achieving Super Saiya-jin. Perhaps her Saiya-jin blood was flowing furiously inside her at the thought and feel of being so close to ascension. Regardless of the reason, her tail was back.

Vegeta slowly unwound her tail from his body. A Saiya-jin's tail was delicate and could only be handled gently. He knew that all too well. As he pulled it away, he could help but marvel at how soft it felt. He couldn't remember the last time he had felt a tail. Sure, he could go Super Saiya-jin 4, but never once had he taken the time to touch his tail while in that form. Pan responded to his touch in her sleep. A small sound came from the girl that almost sounded like purring. Vegeta couldn't help but take a small delight in her reaction. He caught himself and quickly removed Pan's tail. Then he got out of bed, figuring it was as good a time as any to start training. Pan mumbled in her sleep when she felt him leave, but he couldn't make out what she was saying. After grabbing some clothes to train in, Vegeta exited the room.

The sun sat high in the sky when Pan finally woke. The sleep she had gotten was not the best and she felt sore all over. She jumped out of bed and stretched to work some of the tension out of her joints. Her wounds healed nicely, as they usually did, but her muscles remained stiff. As she stretched her legs, Pan noticed her new furry appendage.

"Oh my Kami!" Pan yelled, grabbing the tail and examining it shakily. She knew Saiya-jins grew tails but thought hers had been removed, never to be seen again. Excitement rose in the young woman. 'Wait until Vegeta-sama sees this!' she thought. Now she looked even more Saiya-jin, a thought which greatly improved her mood. Trunks had yet to enter her mind, but not even he could ruin her day. Wasting no time on doors and stairs, Pan simply opened the bedroom window and flew to the Gravity Room. The door swung open as she landed. Pan waltzed it, head held high. Vegeta couldn't help but smirk. She couldn't keep her act of aloofness up for long.

"Vegeta-sama, look! My tail grew back!" She exuded happiness. She even turned around, happily waving her tail back and forth to show him. He laughed.

"What's so funny?" Pan wanted him to be proud, not entertained.

"Look at yourself, brat," the Ouji said. Pan took a good look at herself. Her hair was matted in blood and sweat, molded into a bizarre shape. The clothes she wore were ripped and bloody. Bandages patched her face and arms. Her tail hung out awkwardly from the top of her pants.

"Oh, wow, sorry Vegeta-sama, I just got so excited," she trailed off, embarrassed.

"Go clean yourself up. You will not be training with me today," he announced. Pan's face fell.

"What? But why?"

"I do believe you promised your day to Bra."

"Oh crap."

Vegeta laughed at her again. Pan stalked out of the room.

"I'll see you later, Vegeta-sama, unless Bra kills me first," she mumbled.

"We will give you an honorable Saiya-jin funeral," he mocked. She turned around and stuck her tongue out at him before disappearing from his sight. Vegeta rolled his eyes and closed the door after she left to resume his training. All the while he wondered if he would be lucky enough to have his tail grow back, too. He certainly missed having the extra appendage around.

Pan trudged back into Capsule Corp., wanting to get her torture over with quickly. She spotted Bra in the kitchen, humming as she cooked something. A sinister smirk spread across Pan's face. As stealthily as the Saiya-jin could manage, she snuck to the side of the kitchen her friend stood at, ki suppressed and on her tip toes. Then, with a mock battle cry, Pan leapt in the air and pounced on her friend. Bra fell to the ground, squealing and arms flailing, Pan landing on top of her. The ebony haired demi-Saiya-jin laughed hysterically, and her tail wagged happily behind her.

"Pan-chan! Get off, you crazy girl!" She almost sounded like her father. Pan simply laughed more. Then Bra saw it, the tail.

"Oh my Kami! Pan! You have a tail again!" Bra didn't exactly freak out, for a Saiya-jin with a tail wasn't unusual, but she was certainly surprised to see it back so suddenly. Pan stood up and pulled Bra up as well.

"It grew back last night. It hurt a lot, too. I thought it was pain from my injuries at first, then I woke up with this baby and it made sense." Pan shrugged.

"You're so lucky, Pan. I would love to have my tail again," Bra sighed but then gasped suddenly, "But don't tell Mom I said that. She would be so upset, because then I'd have to cut tail holes in all my nice clothes."

Pan laughed. Bra was more Saiya-jin that she had given her credit for. Bra frowned and Pan arched a brow in confusion at her.

"Are your parents going to let you keep it?" she questioned.

"Kami, I didn't even think about that. I can hear Mama now, 'Pan gets enough attention as it is at school, it has to go'." Pan mocked Videl as best she could.

"Well, you do cause trouble at school sometimes, you know."

"I never start it. Besides, school is almost over. And I'm almost eighteen, so I can just hide it until then. That way, Mama and Papa won't have a say in the matter."

"Oh, Pan-chan, your birthday is next weekend! What are you doing this year?"

"Nothing if I can help it. Though, it'd be cool to go on a trip for the big one eight."

"You know our moms won't let you do nothing. But what kind of trip do you want to go on? Like some vacation at the beach?"

"There will probably be some silly party. But as for my trip, I don't want to go on some plain old beach vacation. I want to go into space!"

"Space! Pan-chan, you've already been there before."

"Yeah, but I barely scratched the surface! There's so much to explore out there!"

"Maybe my mom will help you out. I'll ask her for you—"

"Thank you, Bra!" Pan made to hug her friend, but Bra held a hand up to stop her.

"I wasn't finished. I'll ask her for you, but only if I can go, too." Bra smiled innocently.

"Of course you can go! It'll be so great! But I'd have to wait until after graduation."

"That's not even a month away, Pan-chan."

"Yeah, going into space could be my birthday and graduation present."

"Don't forget me," Bra whined.

"Of course not."

"What if your parents say no?"

"I'll be eighteen. And I'm sure Mrs. Bulma or Vegeta-sama will help me. Besides, Papa went into space when he was much younger than me, so he'd better let me go."

"Okay, but we're going to need new outfits for space!" Bra grabbed Pan by the arm, ready to leave to shop. Pan stopped her.

"Bra, whatever you're cooking is starting to burn and I need a shower and a change of clothes," Pan reminded.

"Oh!" Bra attended to her food, "well, my closet is your closet, so just grab any outfit you like. Food will be ready when you're done."

Pan nodded and took off to Bra's room, thoughts of space dancing in her head. So engrossed in her thoughts, Pan failed to notice a figure walking toward her until she collided with a solid mass. Before she hit the ground, the figure caught and righted her. She looked up into the eyes of Trunks. She stepped back.

"Look, Pan, I know you're mad--" he started.

"Save it, Trunks. Even if you're sorry, I don't want to hear it. Move." She attempted to walk around him, but he stepped in front of her.

"Pan, I really am sorry, though. I do like you, a lot, and I didn't mean to show you like that."

"I said save it. Give me my space or I'll kick your ass right here."

He moved and allowed her to pass. Trunks watched her as she walked down the hall, her tail twitching angrily behind her. Wait, her tail?

"Pan-chan, your tail!" he cried. She stopped but didn't face him.

"Don't call me that. And yes, it's back." She continued down the hall after wrapping her tail around her waist defensively. Angry, she grabbed a towel from the hallway closet and stalked to the bathroom. She pealed of her bandages and discarded them. While in the shower, Pan experimented with her tail, pick up soaps and shampoos with it. She even used it to clean her back with a sponge.

"What a useful tail you are," she cooed as she cleaned her fuzzy brown friend. When she finished cleaning herself, Pan stepped out of the bathtub and wrapped her towel around her drenched body.

"Why do I even bother?" she asked aloud as she flared her ki and dried herself off.

"Oh crap." She had forgotten to grab extra clothes and suddenly found herself thankful for grabbing a towel. She cracked the bathroom door and darted toward Bra's room. She glanced behind to make sure no one saw her. When she faced the front, it was just in time to see her sensei rounding the corner, looking to get some food, no doubt. Without warning, she collided with Vegeta. Before he even realized what had happened, Vegeta had Pan, clad in only a towel, pinned against the wall by the throat. She only managed to gasp before he grabbed her. He blinked once, snapping out of it. Though he didn't immediately release her, he did loosen his grip.

"Sorry Vegeta-sama." She wasn't even fazed by his reaction. She was simply surprised and embarrassed that she had run into him.

He couldn't believe how soft her skin was, especially right after a shower. And her smell, it was intoxicating. Pan blushed when she noticed his proximity and her lack of clothes. He let his hand slide down her neck and rest on her bare shoulder. Pan looked into his eyes but couldn't read a single emotion that swirled in them. When he met her eyes, he blinked once and suddenly disappeared. Pan watched him go, for her eyes could keep up with his movements, but she didn't dare follow him. Instead, she dashed to Bra's room, this time watching where she was going. When she made it inside, Pan closed the door and leaned against it. She could still feel the warmth from Vegeta's touch and smell his musky scent. She shook the thoughts away. She was being ridiculous again. Then she padded her way to her friend's closet to search for clothes. After ten minutes, she emerged from Bra's room dressed in a tight red T-shirt and blue jeans that she had to roll the pant legs up on. She decided Bra was right, red was her color. Her precious orange bandana, which had been discarded in Bra's room the night before, found its way back onto her head. Her hair was finely brushed underneath it and hanging loosely from her crown. Pan shifted uncomfortably for a moment in her jeans. Her tail didn't enjoy the lack of space. She'd have to talk to Bra about it.

When she came into the kitchen, Vegeta was at the table, already eating. He looked up when she walked in and she flashed him a smile, letting him no she had no hard feelings for the way he reacted earlier. She had surprised him after all. Instead of taking a seat, she stood in place, waiting for Bra to finish up at the stove. When her friend turned around, Pan frowned.

"What is it?" she stepped toward Pan. Pan turned around and pointed to her tail, which was awkwardly and uncomfortably poking out from over the jeans she wore.

"Oh, do you plan on going shopping with it showing?" she asked as she stared in concentration at the pants.

"I'm only going to hide it around my parents because they'll make me get rid of it. I don't care what anyone thinks about it." Pan shifted in the jeans for the thousand time.

"I'll find some scissors or something so we can cut a hole in those pants." Bra all but skipped from the kitchen, anxious to shop.

Pan walked to the stove and prepared a plate of food. Her tail swung eagerly behind her. Vegeta watched her work at the stove. She turned and caught him staring.

"Turn back around," he ordered.

"What?" Pan was confused, though she couldn't help but smile in her mind at the thought of Vegeta staring at her.

"I said turn around," she complied, "I suggest you move your tail."

What? Why?" He answered her question with a small, but concentrated, ki blast that burned a tail sized hole in her pants. Pan swung around, ready to defend herself.

"Calm down, girl. I fixed your pants," he smirked. She ran her hand along the back of her pants and felt a hole. Pan took a minute to negotiate her tail through it. When it sat comfortably, she smiled at Vegeta.

"Thanks." Her tail wagged behind her. She hugged him briefly.

"Eat your food." He continued with his own meal. Pan obeyed and sat across from him at the table, immediately consuming her food. Bra reentered the kitchen, sporting a large pair of scissors.

"Oh, I see you already cut a hole," she sounded relieved.

"Well, Vegeta-sama blasted a hole in the pants, but it's the same principle I guess," Pan spoke before stuffing another portion of food in her mouth.

"Daddy!" Bra cried.

"It's fine, the brat is okay and has a hole for her tail." Pan wagged her tail at his mention of it.

"Anyway," Bra set the scissors down, "you need to hurry Pan-chan. I want to get to the mall so we can get those outfits."

Pan sighed, "Yeah, yeah, I'm going."

"Oh, we can tell Daddy about your birthday and graduation present while he's here!" Of course Bra had to mention something. Pan groaned. Vegeta feigned disinterest.

"Go on, tell him what you want!" Pan made a mental note to punch her friend later.  
"I want to take a trip into space." She took the blunt approach since Vegeta preferred straightforwardness.

"Hn." He stood up and put his emptied plates in the sink.

"Tell him the _whole _thing, Pan," Bra coaxed.

"And I want Bra to come with me since she's graduating too. I was hoping you or Mrs. Bulma could help me since my parents will probably be against it," Pan finished.

"You're better off asking the woman when she decides to show up." He left, heading for the Gravity Room.

"That went well," Pan mumbled. Bra either didn't hear her or chose to ignore her. The pair of demi-Saiya-jins left for the mall afterward, using a hover car to appear normal.

There's chapter two. Still a little on the boring side, but things will begin to pick up in the next chapter. Please let me know what you think.

To Piccolo is Green: Thanks for being my first reviewer! That makes you extra special, though all reviews are cherished. I'm glad you like it so far.


	3. Mall Madness

Author's Note: I'd really like to have this story go on for a while, and I hope people are reading it and enjoying it. I know the coupling is unorthodox, but this is what makes fan fiction fun. Here's chapter three.

" " ~talking

' ' ~thinking

Chapter 3: Mall Madness

Bra tried every trick in the book to coax Pan into getting more feminine outfits, but her stubborn friend only made a few compromises. Three hours and hundreds of awkward stares at Pan's tail later, the two girls walked out of the mall. The sky had darkened. Bra carried so many bags and boxes that her whole body was almost completely hidden. Pan carried only a few bags in one hand.

"Oh Kami, Pan hold my stuff so I can get the capsules out of my pocket." Before Pan even responded, Bra dumped her bags into her ebony haired friend's arms. As Bra dug around in her pockets, a group of men approached them, leering at the two young women. When she freed the container of capsules from its pocket prison, the men had formed a circle around them.

"What are you up to, ladies?" the closest man spoke. He wore a long, tattered khaki trench coat and had long, shaggy black hair. He sported a scar that ran diagonally across his face. Bra looked up and rolled her eyes. Ignoring the men, she and Pan encapsulated the shopping bags and boxes. Pan looked up at the scar faced man when they finished. The circle of men drew tighter.

"Can I help you?" Her tone was flat.

"You can definitely help me, doll," another man spoke. This one was short and fat, also in a khaki trench coat. His skin glowed an eerie yellow and he smoked a short, fat cigar. On his head sat a Fedora. Pan felt the urge to vomit at the sight of such a disgusting little man.

"Let's go, Pan," Bra urged, not wanting to see her friend ruin such nice clothes with the blood of these perverts.

"Aw, don't leave, delicious," a third man spoke. He looked like a giant lizard. His eyes were blood red with black slits for pupils, similar to those of a snake. A fourth man stood behind them. Pan glanced at him and found him to be handsome but disgusting at the same time. His hair was long and silver, slicked back as if it grew that way naturally. His eyes glowed an eerie green and he had paper white skin. Something about his body language bothered Pan. He was the only man in the group that didn't wear a khaki trench coat. Instead, he wore a simple black suit.

"Alright, let's go, Bra." Pan had a feeling the men weren't ordinary perverts, and she didn't want to take any chances, especially while she had Bra with her. The two friends began ascending into the air, only to be viciously pulled back to the ground. 'If it's a fight they want, a fight they'll get,' thought Pan. Bra glanced at her friend and knew there would be bloodshed. Pan righted herself and crouched into a fighting stance, wrapping her tail protectively around her waist. The men closed in and Pan attacked.

She swung at the fat man first. A quick, Saiya-jin powered punch landed right in his face. The obese male flew back and skidding to a halt on the pavement almost 100 feet away. When he stood, a smirk decorated his face. Pan felt an incredible burning sensation in her hand. She shook it off. The fat man's friends laughed. He made his way back to the group, chuckling.

"Ain't too nice, is it darlin'? Didn't you notice my glow? That's ki there, dollface. Hot as can be," he chuckled again. The others laughed with him. Pan grimaced and punched him again, sending him twice as far as the first time, but more than tripling the burning in her hand. She cursed.

"Guess there's nothin' you can do about it, sweet cheeks," he laughed again as he walked back to the group. It was Pan's turn to smirk.

"I think I can manage," she said, her smirk changing to a frown. With minimal effort, the ebony haired teen shot a ki blast at the disgusting little man. He had a look of shock on his face as the blast struck him. His body landed in the same spot as before, but he wasn't so quick to get up. The lizard man hissed. Pan laughed. The fat man rolled to a sitting position. His hat was long gone, and his cigar had disappeared, too.

"You bitch! Little girls shouldn't play with ki. Didn't your motha eva teach you that?" He stood up again, but Pan had decently wounded him, and with such a weak blast at that. Bra stood close to her friend, muscles tensed, ready to let her Saiya-jin instincts take over if she needed to defend herself. Pan smirked again and raised one arm. Bra would have laughed at her friend's likeness to the Saiya-jin no Ouji if the circumstances had been more pleasant. With a small, concentrated blast, Pan sent the fat man to the next dimension.

It was like she pulled a trigger that fired off all three of the other men. Bra intercepted the man closest to her, not wanting to make Pan do all the work. She was a Saiya-jin, too! It was the man in the suit. The silver haired man spoke to Bra as he battled with her.

"I know what you are, Saiya-jin." His voice was feather light and melodic, but his face was stern, and his attacks were fierce. Bra quirked an eyebrow but continued swinging at him.

"You are Vegeta's daughter, are you not? The Saiya-jin no Hime," he spoke again. Bra stifled a gasp.

"You don't know me, you freak," she growled.

"I know more about you than you think." He quickly glanced up. Bra followed his gaze and saw what looked like a crystal ball hovering overhead. While distracted, she received a sharp blow to the gut, causing her to double over as blood escaped her mouth. The man kicked her in the face, sending her on a crash course with Pan.

Pan turned in time to see her aqua haired friend sailing in her direction. She readied herself and caught Bra when they collided, but the force sent them both to the ground. Pan jumped up quickly and stood defensively in front of Bra's fallen form. The other two men backed away, as if waiting for permission to strike again.

"Bring the Hime back to me in one piece. I don't care what you do with the other one," the man in the black suit ordered before rising into to the sky and flying off. Pan scoffed.

"Try me," she challenged, "I'll kill you just like I killed your friend."

"Ha! Balto? That tub of lard couldn't kill a fly," the scar faced man mocked.

"Yes," the lizard man hissed, "Balto was worthless, but Kain and I will kill you quickly, and I'll make sure that flesh of yours doesn't go to waste."

"Easy, Ziust, be sure to just eat the short one," Kain laughed wickedly.

"A shame, the Hime looks especially tasty."

Bra rose to her feet at her mentioning and frowned deeply.

"Stay back, Bra," Pan cautioned, "they plan to kidnap you, so keep away from them."

"Alright." The Hime wiped the blood from her mouth and took a few steps back.

"You guys think you can take her?" Pan jerked a thumb back in Bra's direction, "my sensei's daughter? My friend? I don't think so. If you want anywhere near her, you're going to have to go through me first."

Bra couldn't help but admire her friend's bravery. Ziust stepped forward and ran his tongue over his razor sharp teeth.

"With pleasure," he spoke as he removed his trench coat. He wore a black sleeveless, turtleneck shirt with black pants. The material resembled leather but seemed more flexible. His scales were dark green all over his body, except around his eyes where they were a royal purple. Black spines protruded from the top of his head and ran down his back to the tip of his tail. He also had spines coming from both his elbows. Ziust's hands were more like claws, along with his feet. He wore no shoes, and looked as if he stood on his tip toes, closely resembling a raptor.

Kain followed Ziust's lead and ditched his trench coat. The clothes he wore matched his companion's. He had the body of a human but was incredibly tall and muscular. Pan felt even shorter. He wore heavy black combat boots with silver buckles running down the length of each shoe.  
"Come on, then." Pan tensed, allowing her ki to steadily rise. Faster than she expected, Kain and Ziust both rush her. Their initial attacks were fierce, leaving her with a few bruises, but she didn't back down. Bra's life depended on her. As soon as she caught the rhythm, Pan fought back. Taking on two enemies at once was no walk in the park, but training with Vegeta had certainly helped.

Bra stepped away, fighting her urge to jump in. She would do more harm than good. The Hime wondered why her dad, or her brother, or any of the others hadn't shown up. She continued to anxiously watch Pan, noting that her ebony haired companion was quickly weakening. But Pan was better than that. She'd seen her father and Pan train together countless times, and it took a lot longer than this for her to even break a sweat. Bra watched as her friend was mercilessly beaten. She needed to do something! Suddenly, Pan went sailing through the air, her body bruised and bloodied. Bra ran to her fallen form.

"Bra, you need to get out of here. Go get Vegeta-sama. Something is wrong. I'll hold them off, but you have to fly as fast as you can." Pan sat up as she spoke, breathing heavily.

"I can't leave you here! They'll kill you!" Bra protested. Pan coughed and blood splattered on the ground.

"Better me than you. Besides, Vegeta-sama would kill me if I let something happen to you. So go. Please Bra."

"Okay, but I'll be back before you know it, so hang in there Pan-chan!"

Bra took flight and pushed herself as hard as she could. When Kain and Ziust jumped to chase her, Pan powered up as high as she could and fired of an insane blanket of ki attacks at them. She would never let them pass. When Bra could no longer be seen, Pan stopped her attack. The smoke cleared and her two opponents floated in the air, their clothes singed. When they made to attack her, she stepped back and took a familiar stance.

"Kamehameha!" She fired the trademark Son attack, hitting the duo. However, her strength wasn't up to par for some reason, and neither was the blast. The two cut straight through her attack, catching her by surprise. She collided with the mall behind her, tearing down a section of the wall. The few stragglers left inside could be heard screaming as they ran. Pan pulled herself out of the rubble and shook herself off. The two men gave her no time to rest. Kain plowed into her, sending her through more walls in the mall, ruining its structural integrity. It collapsed behind them as they shot out the other side. Pan fought back, kicking Kain squarely in the jaw. But as soon as she had him off her, Ziust blasted her with his ki, drilling her into the pavement. Kain leapt at her again, fighting her hand to hand. Ziust joined in and she quickly became overwhelmed. Like before, Pan felt her power slipping away far too fast. Ziust delivered a tremendous blow to her face and she hit the ground hard, deepening her crater.

"You must be feeling it by now," he mocked after striking her. Pan had trouble finding the strength to move.

"Yes, it's easy to see that it's affecting you. Since Ziust is about to finish this up, I'll let you in on a little secret. Every time anyone makes physical contact with me, I take some of that person's energy. And since you've been fighting me, I've taken a lot of your wonderful energy. Now that I've feasted on your ki, Ziust will feast on your flesh." Kain crossed his arms. Pan pulled herself up on her elbows and laughed at Kain. He frowned deeply.

"Ziust! Just hurry up with her. I'm tired of looking at this sorry excuse for a Saiya-jin," Kain growled.

"Certainly," the scaled monster replied. Pan miraculously came to a stand. With a deep breath, she calmed her uneasy body. The thought of being eaten alive didn't sit well with her. Adrenaline pumped heavily through her veins. A Saiya-jin went down fighting, no matter what. Ziust lunged at her hungrily. She dodged him and shot a ki blast into his back.

"Didn't your mother ever teach you not to play with your food?" Pan mocked, slouching a bit as she panted heavily.

"No, I ate my mother when I was born, and I like my meals to have a little fight in them," he snarled. Pan's eyes widened a fraction before she growled and threw a punch at him. He side-stepped her and brought a spiked elbow into her left shoulder. The spike pierced though her shoulder entirely, and a sharp cry of pain rang out. He jerked his elbow none too gently away from her body, and she fell to the ground. Her mind was reeling, and she fought the burning pain in her shoulder.

"Done already? How disappointing," Ziust tsked. A low growl rumbled through Pan's throat. She rolled painfully onto her back.

"Glad to see you're still awake, my little snack." He licked his teeth again. When he took a step toward her, Pan shot a ki blast at him and stood.

"Don't think I'm going to make this easy for you," she huffed bravely. Ziust's face shifted to what looked like a frown.

"You have quite a mouth, girl," he shot. She only smirked in response.

"I'll wipe that smirk of your face, you wretch!" Ziust jumped at Pan, who kicked him away. He landed, sprawled out, on the pavement behind her.

"Guess you bit off more than you could chew, huh Ziust?" Kain laughed.

"Shut up, Kain!" Ziust quickly rose to his feet. Pan fell to her knees, exhaustion taking over. The left side of her body was covered in her own blood. Cuts and bruises decorated her skin. Her clothes were torn and her tail hung limply behind her. Pan was certain she had broken bones. These men were too much for her when they teamed up together. They had no honor! Ziust snaked his way over to Pan and kicked her hard in the side. She could hear a couple of her ribs crack. She rolled, tumbled, and skidded along the concrete. When she came to a stop, Pan pulled herself to a sitting position. She smirked lazily.

"You're both cowards," she coughed up some blood and swayed slightly, "and my sensei will come and kill you both."

"You call us cowards, yet your Hime flees from battle," Kain said.

"I sent her away you fool, to someone who could kill you with the flick of his wrist. She's no coward. She knows she's important as out Hime, and she knows I can hold the two of you off long enough."

"You're doing a wonderful job of holding us off," Kain teased.

"She escaped, didn't she?" Pan spat.

"But she left you here to die."

"I knew the consequences, and I'm not scared of you two freaks."

"I can change that, my dear." Ziust approached her cautiously. He eyed her hungrily, ready to sink his fangs into her warm flesh. When Ziust reached her, he crouched onto his haunches, leveling his eyes with hers. She glared at him groggily. She continued to sway, close to losing consciousness. He reached out a clawed hand and ran it gently from her face to her left shoulder. Pan's vision became fuzzy. Suddenly, he gripped her battered shoulder tightly, digging into the fresh wound. Pan cried out and tried to remove his offense hand. He pulled his claws from her flesh before she could make him. Her blood covered his hand, and he chuckled evilly. He brought his blood covered hand to his face and slowly licked each claw clean. The Saiya-jin attempted to scoot away from Ziust. He grabbed her leg and pulled her back to him. After she came to a stop, Ziust crawled over her, hovering above her with his head only inches from hers.

"You're more delicious than I imagined, Saiya-jin. It must be that Chikyuu-jin blood your mother mixed in there," he all but growled at Pan. The shock she felt showed on her face.

"We know all about you and your family. We know everything about you Saiya-jins," he explained. Pan's eyes remained widened in shock as Ziust dipped his head and began licking the blood from the wounds on her face.

"Back off, you freak," she warned.

"But your blood is too delicious to resist, and there isn't anything you can do to stop me," he trailed down to her neck and reared back, teeth bared, ready to go in for the kill. Pan squeezed her eyes shut, cursing her broken body. She felt weak and hated it. Where was all that Saiya-jin power? Of course, Kain had made it a point to drain her of all her energy, and she had fought two people at once. 'No,' she berated herself, 'I was too weak. If I could go Super Saiya-jin, things would be different. Vegeta-sama would be so disappointed if he saw me right now.'

A few more seconds passed, and Pan wondered why she was still alive. She chanced a peek and saw Ziust's body coming to a stop at the other end of the mall parking lot. Calm washed over her, only to disappear when her eyes fell upon her savior. Vegeta. He hovered above the ground, only a few feet from Pan's fallen form. 'Great, now he knows I failed,' she thought.

"Ah, Vegeta, the Saiya-jin no Ouji." Kain made himself known again. Ziust came to a stand, glaring menacingly at the Ouji. Vegeta completely ignored the daggers being stared at him and touched down on the ground. He walked over to Pan, turning his back on the two strange individuals.

"Vegeta-sama, is Bra alright?" Pan asked wearily.

"She's fine. Trunks is watching her. Goten is on his way to help them," Vegeta answered. He knelt next to her, briefly scanning over various wounds. When his eyes met hers, she looked away, ashamed.

"I'm sorry I wasn't strong enough, but I'm glad Bra is okay," she whispered.

"Hush, brat. What did these fools do to you?" His eyes dropped to her mangled shoulder. She winced.

"The scar faced guy drained my power just by touching me in our fight. The other one," she paused for a moment, "the other one tried to eat me."

Vegeta frowned.

"She's right, you know," Ziust spoke, "I was about to enjoy the most wonderful meal of my life until you showed up."

Vegeta's power rose and Pan could feel the warmth radiating from his body. It comforted her.

"Easy, Ziust. You'll have another chance to enjoy your little snack. We're not allowed to become involved with Vegeta, remember? He's for the boss. Let's go." Kain waved his hand and the crystal ball Bra had seen soared over to him. It landed in his hand. Ziust stepped next to him. Vegeta watched carefully as Kain tapped the ball a couple of times, and he and Ziust disappeared. The Ouji glanced around quickly, only to find no trace of them.

"Cowards," he mumbled. He looked back at Pan to find her unconscious. Her face had paled significantly, and she lay in a large pool of her own blood. Vegeta picked her up as carefully as possible, powered up to Super Saiya-jin, and took off toward Capsule Corp. as fast as he could without further damaging Pan.

When he landed, Bulma, Yamcha, Gohan, and Videl were waiting on the lawn. Vegeta bypassed them all completely and rushed to the Medical Wing. Gohan was the first to enter the room after him. What he saw when he arrived was Vegeta removing Pan's shirt. She still wore a tattered bra underneath, but Gohan's temper flared.

"What are you doing?" he roared.

"She has a hole in her shoulder. The Regeneration Tank alone won't heal her. I'm going to pull the cloth bits out of it and seal the wound," Vegeta spoke as he made quick work of Pan's largest wound. Gohan seethed but let the Ouji work. When the others arrived, Vegeta already had Pan in the tank and was fine tuning its settings. The blood from her wounds wasn't being filtered from the healing liquid fast enough, so the normally green fluid she floated in was tinted red.

Bra burst into the room and ran over to the tank.

"Pan! Daddy, will she be alright?" Bra fought the urge to cry.

"She should be fine. We just need to give her time," Vegeta responded, never taking his eyes off the tank.

"What happened?" Videl asked when she burst into the room, tears already forming in her eyes. Everyone else walked in after her.

"Bra, honey, you need to tell us what happened at the mall," Bulma said. She put a hand on her daughter's shoulder.

"Okay," she sat down in one of the chairs lining the walls of the room, "Pan and I went shopping and nothing bad happened until we were leaving. Four men came up and starting talking to us. I thought they were just a bunch of perverts, so I told Pan we needed to leave so she wouldn't kill them. We tried to fly away, but they wouldn't let us. Pan hit one of the guys, some short, yellow skinned, fat guy. His skin burned her when she hit him. He said it was ki, so Pan just blasted him," if anyone had been looking, they would have seen Vegeta smirk, "then the other three attacked. I fought one, and I think he was their boss, who said he knew all about us. He showed me a crystal ball thing I think he's been using to spy on us. Then he knocked me into Pan and told his men to bring me back to him alive. They were allowed to do whatever they wanted to Pan."

Gohan growled loudly, and Videl put an arm on him to calm him. He stared at the ground, attempting to contain any further outbursts. Bra continued, "Pan wouldn't let me fight. She said she wouldn't let them anywhere close to me since they wanted to kidnap me. But when she fought, she got really weak really fast. Something was wrong, so she told me to leave and get Daddy. I did, but I don't know what happened after that because as soon as I left the mall, I couldn't feel Pan's ki anymore."

Videl's crying turned to loud sobbing and it was Gohan's turn to calm her. He hugged her close.

"What happened when you got there, Vegeta? We need to get the whole story here," Bulma said, fidgeting slightly.

"Fine," he grumbled, "I found Pan where Bra said she would be. I couldn't feel her ki either, though. Something must have been blocking it from my senses. She was on the ground and some lizard was about to bite her throat. I blasted him. I asked the girl what happened. She told me one of the men could steal ki just by making brief contact with someone and the other was a flesh eater. The ki stealer said I was to be saved for their boss, so he summoned a crystal ball that teleported them away, the cowards."

"Thank you Vegeta, for saving our Panny." Videl had never liked Vegeta, but he certainly deserved a thank you.

"Hn." His gaze still hadn't shifted an inch.

"Who were those guys?" Goten pondered aloud.

"We don't know," Bra answered.

"They must be aliens, but what do they want with our families?" Bulma wondered.

"One of them referred to me by my title, Ouji," Vegeta offered.

"Me too, they called me Hime. The silver haired man knew I was a Saiya-jin and knew you were my daddy," Bra directed her statement at her father. She didn't know what they wanted, but felt the need to help as much as possible. She felt so guilty when she laid eyes on Pan.

"So they want something from Saiya-jins," Bulma mused, "but what? They want Bra specifically. Do you think they plan to breed her?"

"That will never happen!" Goten jumped in, blushing after he realized he had yelled his thoughts.

"They can't take my little girl away from me," Bulma whined.

"They won't, Bulma. We won't let anything happen to her." Yamcha comforted the older, aqua haired female.

"We need to ask Pan more about this when she wakes up," Trunks suggested.

"She needs her rest first, but you're right. We do need to ask her what ha--," Gohan stopped when he studied the ebony haired Saiya-jin more closely.

"What is it, Gohan?" Videl asked.

"When did Panny grow her tail back?"

"Today, actually. She woke up with it there," Bra explained.

"It's gone when she wakes up," Gohan mandated.

"The brat is already very attached to her tail. She'll be angry with you for a long time if you take advantage of her current weakness and remove it," Vegeta lectured.

Videl wiped the tears from her eyes as she spoke, "He's right, honey. We can deal with the whole tail thing later. Right now we have more important things to worry about."

Gohan simply nodded.

"There's no sense in standing around here waiting. Pan won't be fully healed for about a week. Let's go have dinner. Trunks, you still have school tomorrow, but you to stay home, Bra," Bulma said. Everyone began filing out of the room, but Bulma stopped when she realized a certain Saiya-jin no Ouji wasn't following.

"Aren't you coming, Vegeta?" she called.

"No, we can't sense those strange warriors' ki, so we don't know when they'll be back. I won't be caught off guard." He wouldn't budge an inch.

"Well okay, I'll have Bra bring you some food later," she said as she disappeared from the room. Vegeta finally allowed himself to sit down. He replayed his finding of Pan over and over in his head.

He rushed from Capsule Corp. as soon as Bra told him something happened. He had been worried when he couldn't sense Pan's ki and was glad he stayed long enough for Bra to tell him where to find her. When he arrived on the scene, his heart skipped a beat. Pan lay in a pool of her own blood that he could easily smell. That lizard creature sat on top of her and Vegeta's anger skyrocketed. Before he allowed the reptilian man to do anything else to Pan, Vegeta shot a ki blast at him. When he could see Pan's whole body, he was shocked. Bones were obviously broken and her left should was a mess. He had been beyond ready to vaporize both men on the spot but felt a pull toward Pan. He rushed to her side, and of all the things to do, she apologized. She thought herself weak. Then she told him what both the aliens could do, and he became furious. They had robbed her of her power, beaten her severely, and one even planned to make a meal out of her. Then the two men left and Vegeta rushed Pan back to Capsule Corp.

He barely remembered the flight back. He felt infuriated. His mind berated him for not being there to protect Pan. When had he started caring so much? As hard as he tried, he couldn't keep himself from feeling responsible for the state Pan was in. But it was wrong for him to feel so attached. He had a woman, even though he knew she was running around with Yamcha. His mind gave numerous justifications for his feelings. There was no fighting it, but he refused to voice it aloud. Things would become too complicated if he pursued the young Saiya-jin woman.

Vegeta jumped up from his seat and prepared to defend himself and Pan when he heard the door open. Bra stepped into the room carrying a tray full of food.

"Calm down, Daddy, it's just me. How's Pan doing?" Bra asked. Vegeta allowed himself to relax slightly.

"She's the same as she was before. Not enough time has passed," he answered, taking the tray of food from his daughter.

"I figured. I can't believe all this happened. It was so sudden. I didn't know what to do. I shouldn't have left her, Daddy," she spouted, fighting the urge to cry.

"You wouldn't have been able to help her. It's been a while since you've trained, and that only would have made the fight harder on her. She did the right thing by sending you away."

"She almost died protecting me Daddy! I couldn't do anything to help her! And she almost got eaten! Why would she do all that for me?"

"You two are friends, are you not?"

"Well yeah, but I don't know if I could do all that for her."

"You wouldn't have to," he mumbled, but Bra didn't catch it.

"She really is something, Daddy. I just hope those guys don't come back. I don't want to see them hurt her again."

"They won't. If they ever come back, I'll kill them all, slowly and painfully."

"She's special, isn't she?" Bra seemed to be musing to herself, but Vegeta caught what she said and nodded. Before he realized what he had done, Bra nodded back and left. The Ouji ate his food silently.

Four days passed before Pan woke up. Early on the fifth day, her eyes fluttered open. She could tell she was in the Regeneration Tank. Her eyes darted around the room, searching for any signs of life. If she didn't have such keen Saiya-jin vision, Pan would have missed the sleeping form of Vegeta. He sat in a chair, arms crossed, with his head dipped down in his slumber. The Regeneration Tank beeped loudly, fully registering the fact that its occupant had regained consciousness. The healed Saiya-jin pulled the oxygen mask from her face and stumbled out of the tank when it opened.

Things have started to pick up a little. I hope you guys still like it, because things are about to get heavy. I know there hasn't been much romance, but it's not supposed to just happen. It will creep in there though, I promise. And now a few words for my reviewers:

Piccolo is green: Thank you for being a faithful reader!

texaspeach: Thank you for reading, I appreciate it. I hope you stay interested.

XxKuroyoxX: I'm glad you like it, and I'm trying to update every few days so there will be plenty for you to read. ^.^


	4. A Moment's Peace

Author's Note: This week has been kind of crazy for me. I just finished with all my finals for school though, so I can dedicate a good portion of my Christmas break to writing. I hope. Anyway, onward to chapter four.

Disclaimer: I've been forgetting to mention this, but I don't own DBZ

Chapter 4: A Moment's Peace

The silver haired man paced around a large room. The walls stood tall, towering over the three individuals in the room. Elegance poured from the room. Blood red drapes hung all along the walls. The floor was covered in silver marble, shined to perfection. His shoes clicked loudly against the ground.

"How could you fail me? You idiots are far too incompetent. It was a simple retrieval task," he growled, directing his anger at Kain and Ziust, who just recently returned to his lair.

"It was the other Saiya-jin. She was more than we bargained for, Master Akki," Kain apologized.

"Gohan's daughter? She's only one-fourth Saiya-jin. How did you let her beat you?"

"She didn't beat us, Master. She just stalled us long enough for her annoying Ouji to show up, and we aren't allowed to become involved with him," Ziust replied.

"You won't fail me again. If necessary, fight Vegeta off. I want his daughter, no matter the cost. Now leave, and don't come back until you have the girl."

"Yes, Master," his henchmen replied together and exited the room.

Pan scoured the room for a towel before slowly creeping from the room. She didn't wish to wake Vegeta, for his odd reflexes would probably cause him to choke the life from her. Capsule Corp. showed no signs of life, save one dark haired teen sneaking around. Pan slipped into Bra's bedroom, quickly grabbed clothes from her friend's closet, and snuck away without waking anyone. Her next stop was the bathroom. She hopped into the shower, feeling the need to rinse the healing fluids of the Regeneration Tank from her body. After a five minute shower, Pan slipped into her commandeered pair of blue jeans and black T-shirt and walked to the kitchen. Healing fluids only provided so much nourishment, and her Saiya-jin body demanded more. She created a breakfast to remember, complete with a large stack of toast, multiple bowls of cereal, a pile of scrambled eggs, a tower of waffles, and a plate full of bacon and sausage. It disappeared at a record pace. Before she finished, Pan could hear someone shuffling around in the hall. She quirked her brow before turning in her chair to catch a glimpse of her early bird visitor. Vegeta walked in, straight faced. He took a seat in front of Pan and captured a few pieces of her bacon. She resumed eating.

"I see you're feeling better," he commented.

"For the most part, I'm a little sore though," she responded.

"It happens when you're stuck in the Regeneration Tank for the better part of the week."

"I suppose."

An awkward silence followed. Pan didn't want to say anything further, fearing it would push Vegeta to comment about how weak she had been. Vegeta could feel the negative energy pouring from the melancholy girl. Clearly she still believed herself a failure. He'd have to fix that somehow, without sacrificing his pride of course.

"Don't beat yourself up about it, brat," he said.

"What do you mean?" Pan really didn't want to talk about it.

"You know very well what I mean."

She sighed, "I can't really help it. The only reason I'm still alive is because you showed up. I couldn't handle it on my own because I'm still too weak, but if I had been a Super Saiya-jin--."

Vegeta brought a fist to the table violently, cutting her off. She jumped before bringing her eyes to meet his.

"That's enough, brat. Beating yourself up over it won't change anything."

"I know, but I feel like I could have done better. I mean, what happens when you aren't there to save me?"

"You won't have to worry about that," he mumbled. Pan couldn't hear him.

"What?"

"I said don't worry about that."

"I guess you were right," Pan paused for a minute, "I really was just playing around instead of training. I'm lucky that I even managed to let Bra escape."

Vegeta jumped up, knocking his chair over. He circled around the table until he stood next to Pan, who turned to look up at him.

"No pity parties, girl. Bra is alive and safe, and so are you. There is nothing for you to get so upset over."

"But I lost."

"If that were true, you'd be fully digested by that lizard now. They fought dirty, and I only showed up to even the odds."

He could feel Pan's mood lift slightly, but then it dropped dramatically.

"Vegeta-sama, do you think I'll ever become a Super Saiya-jin?"

"You already possess the strength of a Super Saiya-jin."

He was right. Pan could hold her own against any of the Super Saiya-jins around; she just hadn't managed to add golden hair and teal eyes to the package.

"I suppose."

Vegeta found himself far too annoying with Pan's moping. He pulled her up by the shoulders so she'd be almost eye level with him. She winced at the jostling of her aching left shoulder. Sure, it healed up nicely, but it was beyond tender. He frowned at the sight.

"I told you, no pity parties. We'll continue your training as soon as you're able."

"We can start now."

"No, your muscles are far too tender. It takes time outside the Regeneration Tank to heal major wounds."

"I'm fine, really."

"Oh are you now?" he patted her recently healed shoulder none too gently, and she grunted in pain, "Clearly I was mistaken. You're obviously much better."

"Fine, I get it."

"Are you sure? I can show you just how silly your attempt at hiding your injuries is."

Pan grumbled, "No thanks, now I think I'm going to go waste away in front of the television."

She made to leave but found herself stopped by two strong arms pulling her close to a firm body. Her eyes widened to a ridiculous proportion when she realized Vegeta was hugging her.

"You would do well to rest for the next few days, and I suggest you stop moping about because you fought two aliens who couldn't beat you fairly."

Pan looked up at her sensei, shock still clearly imposed on her face. He smirked at the thought of catching her so completely off guard. After a few seconds she snapped out of it and beamed.

"Thank you, Vegeta-sama," she hugged him back as tightly as her sore body allowed.

"It's nothing, brat. Now go watch that vile box those Chikyuu-jins manage to find entertainment value in."

Pan chuckled, "Alright, Vegeta-sama. Try not to get bored without your training partner, but I'll be back before you know it."

He released her and allowed her to clean up her breakfast mess. When she finished at the sink, Pan turned around, only to find Vegeta missing. 'He's probably off to train, lucky him,' she thought. She allowed a small smile to dance on her lips as she made her way to the living room.

As she sat on the couch, she paid no attention to the show playing on the television. Instead, her mind swirled through thoughts of her sensei. She didn't realize it would feel so good to have him hold her in such a way. A warm, fuzzy feeling swelled up inside her. Pan failed to notice the other end of the couch depress as someone sat next to her.

"I see you're finally awake, Pan-chan. Do you feel better?" Trunks asked. Pan jumped up, ready to strike him.

"Calm down, Pan! It's me!" Trunks yelled. Pan relaxed slightly.

"What do you want?" she all but growled.

"I just wanted to see if you're alright."

"I'm fine, so you can leave."

"Pan, you have to listen to me. I know you're angry, but I'm sorry. It won't happen again, okay?"

"You're right, because if you ever try something like that again, I won't hesitate to kill you."

"What? Pan-chan! You sound like my father. I'm just trying to apologize."

"And I'm just trying to warn you ahead of time. Don't ever try anything like that again. You may feel something for me, but I feel nothing toward you."

"Okay, Pan. You win. I'll leave you alone."

Trunks stood up and left, clearly heartbroken. Pan felt bad for being so harsh, but she refused to have him try to take advantage of her again. Her thoughts of Vegeta disappeared, and she sat on the couch again, this time paying attention to what played on the screen. She could feel the couch sink in again, and she turned, fist raised.

"Trunks, I thought I told you--," she gasped and immediately dropped her fist when she realized who sat next to her.

"Sorry, I didn't expect to see you in here," she apologized, her cheeks flushing in embarrassment. She looked up at her couch companion.

"Is the boy bothering you again?" Vegeta asked.

"He tried to apologize for what he did before, but I still just don't want to talk to him," she answered.

"Hn."

"Why aren't you training? Bored of it?"

"No, the worthless machine broke."

"Oh."

Pan turned her attention back to the television, but quickly found herself thinking about Vegeta again.

"You realize the woman will be asking you a hundred questions about what happened at the mall, right?" Vegeta asked.

"Yeah, it's a good thing she's a late sleeper," Pan said. Vegeta chuckled.

"Have they come back?" Pan asked.

"No, they've disappeared."

"I'm worried, Vegeta-sama. What if they come back for Bra?"

"If they come back, I'll kill them."

Pan paused again and looked down at her lap.

"I'm going outside for some fresh air before the others realize I'm awake," she said and stood up to leave. Vegeta stood and followed her. Pan arched a brow but continued outside.

When she exited the building, she flew to the top and sat on the roof. She reclined, lying stretched out with her arms behind her head. Vegeta sat next to her.

"Do you need some fresh air, too?" she asked.

"Tell me something, when you fought those men, could you sense their ki?" he asked, ignoring her question.

"Well, yeah. Why do you ask?"

"Before I reached you, I couldn't sense your or anyone else's ki, but as soon I got close to the fight, I could suddenly sense all of you."

"Are you saying they blocked our ki from you guys?"

"More than likely."

"That explains a lot."

"Like what?"

"Like why no one showed up to help us when I raised my ki."

"I see," Vegeta's chest tightened. Pan must have thought they refused to help before she realized her ki had been blocked from everyone's senses. He sighed. Pan glanced over at him.

"Something wrong?" she asked.

"Did you assume no one wanted to help you?"

"Well, sort of. But after a while I realized something was wrong. That's when I sent Bra to go get you."

"Hn."

"So, what happened to the mall?"

Vegeta chuckled, "You angered a lot of Chikyuu-jins by destroying their shopping center. The woman said it was on the news for a couple of days."

Pan couldn't help but laugh, "Bra and Bulma probably hate me right now."

"They'll be fine."

She relaxed on the roof, her tail swishing around beside her. Vegeta marveled at how complacent she looked. Her eyes drifted close and she fell into the first real sleep she'd had in five days. The peaceful look on her face surprised Vegeta. Her mouth formed a dainty little circle and he could hear her light breathing. He wanted to touch her. He didn't care where; he just wanted to feel her smooth skin again. 'No, stop being ridiculous. You can't act on any of these urges,' he berated himself.

An hour passed and Vegeta could feel people moving around in the house below. He refused to leave Pan alone out in the open in case Kain and Ziust returned. He nudged her gently. She didn't wake.

"Brat, wake up," he commanded.

Pan groaned, "Vegeta-sama, where are you going?"

"I'm not going anywhere, but you need to wake up."

"No, you can't go." She rolled onto her side, her tail flicking behind her.

"Girl, what are you going on about?" He rolled her over and saw that she was still sleeping. She was dreaming about him. A blush crept onto his cheeks briefly. He shook his head, as if it would stop his blush, and tried to wake the teen again.

"For Kami's sake, wake up."

She was still asleep. He groaned. He put a hand on her shoulder and shook with more force that before. Her eyes cracked open.

"Mmm, five more minutes," she said groggily.

"Get up." Vegeta continued to jostle her until she finally opened her eyes all the way.

"What? What's going on?"

"You were asleep, but the others are awake now and will be wondering where you are."

"Fine, I'm getting up," she said, wiping the sleep from her eyes. When she tried to push herself up to a sitting position, she winced. Her left shoulder was killing her. She rubbed it gently, hoping to ease the ache, but it didn't help. She dropped her arm and looked up, only to find Vegeta missing. Next thing she knew, Pan's shoulders were receiving the best massage she'd ever had in her life. She melted into those hands, thoroughly enjoying the treatment. Vegeta laughed softly behind her.

"You've obviously never had a proper massage before," he said. Pan could only shake her head in agreement. The tension in her shoulders disappeared entirely. After a few minutes of bliss, the hands stopped and Vegeta stood. Pan fought the urge to complain.

"Get up. We need to go inside," he commanded.

"Sure, but you have to tell me where you learned to do that," she said.

"A warrior should know how to ease the aches and pains of the body."

Pan laughed, "Okay, well I'll guess you have to teach me that some time."

Vegeta's cheeks tinted red as he thought about "teaching" her. He looked away. The two flew down to the ground and walked through the front door of Capsule Corp.

Goten and Trunks sat at the kitchen table, munching away at the breakfast Goten cooked. Trunks looked up as Pan and Vegeta walked in, only to let his gaze quickly fall back down to his food. Vegeta rolled his eyes at the sight. Pan walked to the living room and sat down on the couch after hugging her uncle briefly. Vegeta, still following her, sat next to her. Pan secretly enjoyed his attention. It was short lived, because Bra suddenly came bounding down the stairs into the kitchen.

"Is she awake today?" Bra asked.

"Yeah, she's in the living room," Goten answered with a smile. Pan groaned. She knew Bra would be all over her in a matter of seconds.

"Pan-chan! You're finally awake!" Bra cried as she leapt on to Pan and hugged her tightly. Pan groaned miserably, her massage from Vegeta meaning nothing now.

"Bra, you're killing me here," she moaned.

"Oh!" Bra jumped up, "Sorry, Pan-chan, I was just so excited. You were in that tank for a while. I was beginning to worry."

"I'm fine Bra, just a little sore."

"Great! Well, I'm going to eat breakfast really quick, but I'll be back."

Pan simply laughed. When Bra left, she sank into the couch, trying to relax. She groaned again. She was just too sore. Vegeta rolled his eyes, patted a spot close to him on the couch and said, "Brat, come over here."

Pan complied without question. As soon as she was close enough, Vegeta turned to her and made her face away from him. For the second time that day, Pan received the best massage ever. Again, she melted into Vegeta, sighing contently. He smirked from his place behind her. So much for not acting on his urges. Soon, Pan's breathing evened out and she became dead weight against Vegeta. His smirk only widened. He had put her to sleep, but he needed to move her before anyone came into the room. He tried to shift her off him but stopped when he heard her mumble his name again.

"No, Vegeta-sama," she whimpered, "Don't leave."

He wondered what she could possibly be dreaming about. He moved her again, but she grabbed his leg with her tail. He let her stay there and use his leg as a pillow. He couldn't resist giving into her, especially while she looked so innocent in her sleep. In his world, such innocence was a rarity. She looked so exhausted, but he could understand. He had spent plenty of time in a Regeneration Tank. He looked up when he heard footsteps. Bra walked back into the living room with Trunks and Goten in tow. She laughed when she saw Pan snuggling with her dad.

"I should have warned you Daddy. She's a cuddler," she giggled, sitting down in the love seat opposite the couch. Goten sat next to her. Trunks sat in one of the open chairs, clearly dissatisfied. Vegeta looked away from them, frowning as his face flushed. Bulma walked down the stairs in her nightgown, suffering from a severe case of bed head.

"Mom, Pan finally woke up!" Bra called. Goten laughed, because Pan certainly wasn't awake anymore.

"Wonderful dear, I'll call the others so we can figure out what went on from Pan," Bulma said, pouring herself a cup of coffee before disappearing back upstairs. If the television hadn't been on, an awkward silence would have loomed over the room. Goten and Bra whispered back and forth while Trunks glared at Pan's sleeping form. Vegeta prayed to Kami that things would get less awkward. Half an hour later, people began showing up. Yamcha arrived first, but he walked straight up the stairs instead of taking a seat in the living room. Next to arrive were Chi-Chi and Videl. They explained that Gohan was still trying to get off work. Even Krillin, Marron, and Eighteen showed up, having been informed of the threat the day after Pan was knocked out of commission. They all stared wide eyed at Pan when they saw her sleeping on none other than the Saiya-jin no Ouji. Vegeta growled at all of them.

Bulma and Yamcha walked down the stairs together and were the last to show up in the living room. All the couches and chairs were filled, so they stood along with Krillin and Eighteen.

"I think it's time to wake her up, Vegeta," Bulma said. Vegeta nodded and shook the sleeping teen with a little extra force than was necessary, hoping she wouldn't start whispering his name again in front of everyone. She opened her eyes, only to widen them drastically when she realized how many people were in the living room with her. She shot up to a sitting position.

"Hi guys," she laughed nervously, her hand moving behind her head in the trademark Son fashion. Goten laughed.

"Pan, honey, are you feeling alright?" Videl asked, crossing the room and hugging her daughter.

"Yeah Mama, I'm alright, just a little sore," she answered. Videl immediately released her, apologizing profusely.

"Pan, your tail," Bulma trailed off. Pan looked down to find her tail still wrapped around Vegeta's leg. A furious blush blossomed on her cheeks and she quickly pulled her tail away, wrapping it around her waist. Goten laughed again, and Pan shot him a glare which quickly silenced him. She mumbled her apologies to the Ouji.

"I'm actually surprised to see you in here, Vegeta," Bulma said.

"I'm only in here because your blasted machine broke again," he growled.

"Well mister, if you didn't go in there while you were pissed and throwing a hissy fit, then it wouldn't break. You know it can't take anything past your Super Saiya-jin two form," she lectured knowingly. He scowled at her.

"Maybe if you actually worked on it, there wouldn't be a problem," he shot.

"You know I'm busy working on something else, and if I remember correctly, I'm building it at _your_ request."

"Shut up, woman."

Everyone else could only watch, having no idea what the two were bickering about. Yamcha gave Vegeta a hard stare before turning to Bulma to calm her.

"When are we going to hear what we actually came here for?" Eighteen asked, rolling her eyes at Bulma and Vegeta.

"Right," Bulma said, "Pan, would you mind telling us what happened when you were at the mall?"

Pan yawned and stretched before nodding.

"Well, Bra and I were leaving the mall when four men came up to us. Bra said we should just leave, so we tried to fly away. They grabbed us and wouldn't let us leave. I killed one of them pretty quickly, but then two of the others attacked me. Bra fought the third guy. Then Bra got knocked into me, and the man she fought told the other two to bring her back to him. I told her to stay back and fought them both, but one was stealing my power. I sent Bra back here to get Vegeta-sama, who showed up just in time to save me. That's as far as I remember," she said, summarizing as best she could.

"Okay, did anything happen that you think we should know?" Bulma asked. The others listened intently. Pan felt awkward having them all stare at her.

"One of them knew Mama is a Chikyuu-jin. They knew Bra and I are Saiya-jins, too. They even called Bra Hime."

"That's what we're getting from Vegeta and Bra. Apparently they know about the Saiya-jins." Videl sat wide eyed across the room.

"So they know I'm a Chikyuu-jin? And they know Gohan and I had Pan? How could they know all this?" Videl asked.

"They've been spying on us," Bra answered.

"What?" Krillin asked.

"Yeah, they have a crystal ball thing they watch us with. The man I fought showed it to me," Bra answered again.  
"Vegeta also said they used that ball to teleport away from the battle," Bulma added.

"What the Hell is going on here?" Eighteen asked, "Why would they be so interested in the Saiya-jins?"

"Mom thinks they want to breed warriors using Bra since they wanted her instead of me. Maybe they think that her royal blood will make her that much better for it," Trunks said. Marron, who sat beside him, blanched.

"Are you serious?" she asked.

"Yeah."

"I don't think that's it," Pan said. All eyes turned to her.

"What do you mean?" Bulma asked.

"Well, they could still use Trunks for breeding. I don't see why Bra would be the only candidate. On top of all that, why wouldn't they go for the only full blooded Saiya-jin left if they wanted to breed more of us?"

"She has a point," Goten said, smiling at his smart little niece.

"We're back where we started, then," Bulma said.

"It doesn't matter what they want. If they come back, which they most likely will, they will die. I'll make sure of that," Vegeta said. The other warriors in the room nodded in agreement.

"We'll just have to be on high alert. No one can be alone anymore. If you guys want, you can all stay here at Capsule Corp. until we're certain this is all over. There's more than enough space for you all. Gohan and I could probably even arrange for those of you still in school to finish your last couple weeks here," Bulma offered.

"That's a good idea," Videl said, "I'll talk to Gohan about it."

"We'll stay," Chi-Chi said, "It's been a while since I've been able to cook for a large family."

Bra smiled at Goten, happy with his mother's decision.

"Us too," said Krillin.

"Great! Well, just make sure you always have someone with you since none of you can sense these guys," Bulma said.

"Alright, who's hungry, because I'm going to make something," Chi-Chi stated, rising from her seat.

"Oh, me!" Goten piped up.

"You just ate, Goten," Trunks laughed.

"I know, but I'm hungry again."

The living room erupted in laughter. Goten and his mother walked into the kitchen to start cooking. The others left in groups to get clothes and other supplied from their homes to prepare for their stay at Capsule Corp.

"Pan, honey, let's go home and get some supplies," Videl said.

"Okay Mama." Pan stood and stiffly made her way out of the living room.

"Vegeta, why don't you go with them? Pan just got done healing, and they might run into trouble," Bulma said. Videl glared briefly at Bulma, knowing why she wanted to get the Ouji out of the house. She may not have been fond of Vegeta, but Bulma was crossing the line.

"Fine," was Vegeta's only reply as he stood up and followed his pupil out the door.

When the three arrived at the Son house, the two females went to their separate rooms, Vegeta following Pan. She let him in her room, and he sat on her bed while she packed. Her room was beyond neat, and Vegeta figured it was because he lectured her about how dirty it was last time he was in her room. That was years ago, though. He had carried her home after a particularly brutal training session. She packed at a slow pace, hating having to use her arms. When she finished, a total of three medium sized suit cases sat in a stack on the floor.

"I'm done, but Mama will probably take a while since she has to pack Papa's things, too," she told her sensei. He nodded. She collapsed on her bed, sighing contently at the comfort it offered.

"Why don't you take a Senzu Bean?" he asked.

"Good idea." Pan stood up and opened the top suitcase, brandishing a brown bag. She pulled a bean out and ate it quickly. The effects were immediate.

"So much better," she said, rolling her left shoulder as proof. Vegeta smirked.

"You won't be needing anymore massages then," he said. Pan's face fell.

"Not right now, but you know, I might just overexert myself while training one day," she laughed. He chuckled lightly.

"What happens when I'm too injured?" he asked. Pan smiled. Vegeta seemed to be, what was the word? Flirting? Yes, he was flirting. She sat back on the bed, behind the Ouji. All thoughts of what Bulma would think flew out the window.

"Then I guess I'd have to give you a massage," she answered.

He laughed, "A shame you don't know how."

"I can try."

She placed her hands lightly on his shoulders, waiting for him to protest. When he didn't, she began kneading his shoulders, trying to imitate the motions she remembered from the two massages he gave her earlier. She delighted in the feel of his muscles, and he seemed pretty content. He slouched slightly. It wasn't the greatest shoulder rub, but somehow the fact that it was Pan touching him made it better. From behind him, Pan could feel a soft vibration rumbling through his body. She smiled. He was practically purring from her massage. 'I'm better at this than I thought!' her smile widened.

Videl swung Pan's door open wide and almost fainted when she saw her daughter with her hands on Vegeta.

"What's going on!" she yelled. Vegeta stared at her lazily, amused by her frustration. He knew Videl wasn't too fond of him.

"I was just giving him a shoulder rub, Mama. I finished packing a while ago and got bored waiting," Pan answered. Videl eyed her daughter wearily and shot a quick glare at the Ouji.

"Let's go, Pan. I called your father and he's already on his way to Capsule Corp."

Pan jumped up and grabbed her suitcases as Videl walked back down the stairs. If she had looked back at Vegeta, she would have seen him frowning at the loss of contact. She brought her belongs downstairs and encapsulated them. Videl followed suit, and the two stuffed the capsules in their pockets before all three took off toward Capsule Corp.

When they arrived, they picked their rooms and unpacked their belongings. Videl, Gohan, Pan, and Marron had rooms in the West Wing of the building. Krillin, Eighteen, Chi-Chi, and Goten had rooms in the South Wing. Vegeta, Bulma, Trunks, and Bra already had rooms in the North Wing. Yamcha's room was also in the North Wing. The married couples shared the same rooms, allowing their children to have the privacy of a room without parents. Pan was thankful for that.

As soon as Pan walked out of her room, her father embraced her.

"Panny, I'm so glad you're okay!" he cried. He released her.

"Thanks, Papa. Did you talk to Mrs. Bulma yet?" she asked.

"Yes, I talked to her on the phone. You, Trunks, Marron, Bra, and Goten won't be going back to school until graduation day."

"Thank Kami," Pan muttered.

"Go let Bulma know we're all here. I haven't talked to her in person yet, but I still need to unpack my things."

"Okay, Papa."

Pan bounded down the stairs to Bulma's lab. She knew the blue haired scientist would most likely be hidden away inside. As she approached the door, she could hear Bulma talking to someone. She knocked on the door, wishing to be polite. After a minute of rustling around, Bulma called, "Come in!"

Pan walked inside.

"Hello, Mrs. Bulma. My papa asked me to tell you that my family is all here and staying in the West Wing," she said.

"Thank you, dear."

Pan looked up and saw the gutted remains of a spaceship sitting at the back of the lab. She could see a shadow dance along the wall near it.

"Is someone else here?" she asked, her body tensing.

"Well, yes. Yamcha was helping me work on something," she answered. Yamcha poked his head out from behind the spaceship, smiling nervously at Pan.

"That spaceship?"

"Yes, but you can't let Bra or Vegeta know you know I'm working on it."

"Why not?"

"Well, I'll let you in on a little secret. It was supposed to be a surprise, but I know you can keep a secret. This is your birthday and graduation present. Vegeta came up to me the other day and asked that I work on it for you. I was so surprised! I planned on letting Bra go with you, which is why you can't say anything to her, but now that all this stuff with the attack has happened, I'm going to have to rethink this. I could always have the boys go with you, maybe even Vegeta. That way, you'll have more than enough protection."

"Thank you so much, Mrs. Bulma! This is fantastic!"

"You're welcome, but you have to promise me that you won't let anyone know that I showed you this. You have to act really surprised on graduation day, okay?"

"Of course! This is going to be so awesome!" She hugged Bulma before walking out of the room, humming as she went.

There's the end of chapter four. Things between certain characters, such as Bulma and Yamcha, won't stay so typical. I'm referring to the whole, Bulma has to cheat with Yamcha in order for Pan to have a relationship with Vegeta, ordeal. As a last note, I wish I could get a massage from Vegeta…

To my reviewers:

texaspeach: Thank you! I'm glad you like think that, and don't worry, I'm a fan fiction freak, too!

Piccolo is green: I'm glad you're still enjoying it!

trinasheart: Thank you for stopping by and reading, I'll try to keep the updates coming!


	5. Turn for the Worse

Author's Note: Man, things around here are crazy. It may seem hard to believe, but here's my story: I was at my friend's house playing World of Warcraft the other day and set my laptop down for five minutes to go outside and watch a meteor shower my dad called and told me about. When I came back in, my friend's new puppy had managed to tear some of the keys from my keyboard, and I was only just able to replace them. The moral of the story: don't trust a cute face (this means puppies). On top of all that, my sister just gave birth to my niece, and Christmas just passed, so I've been really busy.

Disclaimer: I don't own it.

" " ~talking

' ' ~thinking

Chapter 5: Turn for the Worse

Pan woke up the next morning smiling. Finally, she was eighteen, an adult. After a quick stretch, she changed and went downstairs. As soon and she hit ground level, Pan was tackled to the ground by Bra.

"Happy birthday, Pan-chan!" the aqua blur squealed.

"Thanks Bra," Pan wheezed. She rolled her friend off her and stood up. Goten stood at the stove with Chi-Chi. They were making something that smelled wonderful. Her tail twitched in anticipation. Her uncle turned around and raised the spoon in his hand into the air shouting, "Happy birthday, Pan!"

"Yes, Pan, happy birthday. You're finally an adult," Chi-Chi said, never looking away from the stove.

"Yeah, I guess I am," she laughed and took a seat at the table. Vegeta walked in shortly afterward and sat at the table across from the birthday girl.

"Hey Daddy, are you going to say happy birthday to Pan-chan?" Bra asked. He arched a brow at his daughter's question.

"Happy birthday, brat," he mumbled. Pan smiled at him. Soon the others filtered into the kitchen. Videl and Gohan took turns hugging their daughter. Everyone said their happy birthdays, but the day went along normally. Bra lamented the loss of the mall, since that's where she had planned to get Pan's present. In fact, that's what most of the residents said. Pan knew what Bulma and Yamcha were doing for her, but no one else had presented her with a gift, not even her parents. She didn't care too much about getting presents anyway. She just wanted to train and reach Super Saiya-jin. That would be the best birthday present ever.

After a hearty breakfast, Pan and Vegeta darted into the Gravity Room to train the day away. The Ouji could tell Pan was anxious to make progress when she forced him to power up to Super Saiya-jin within the first ten minutes of their spar. As their deadly dance continued, Pan could feel her anger rising. All the excitement she felt at turning eighteen quickly disappeared when she realized she wouldn't be ascending on her special day.

"Don't get distracted, girl," Vegeta growled, viciously punching his sparring partner in the face. With a grunt of pain, Pan fell to the ground. When she didn't get up immediately, Vegeta frowned. He hadn't meant to hit her so hard, but she had backed him into a corner and forced his hand at the beginning of their spar, putting him on edge. Pan spat a mouthful of blood onto the floor before standing up. The glare she shot at her sensei sent chills up his spine. Clearly, her day wasn't going well. Suddenly, she disappeared from his sight, quickly reappearing behind him and slamming both fists into the back of his head. He hit the ground with a resounding thud, shaking the room slightly. Pan landed gracefully, waiting for Vegeta to stand.

"Two can play that game, brat," he growled from the floor. He vanished from her sight and she turned, expecting him to appear behind her. When she couldn't find him, or sense his exact location, she turn back around, yelping when she saw him only inches away. He stood in his second Super Saiya-jin form, and Pan knew she was in trouble. She had definitely pissed him off. The raven haired girl jumped back, but her sensei quickly pursued her, chuckling evilly along the way. He made to strike her in the face, but disappeared just before connecting his attack. Then he was right behind her, kicking her in the back. Before she was tossed even a foot forward from the attack, he was in front of her again, this time actually punching her in the face. She hit the wall hard, but didn't fall to the floor. Vegeta grabbed her by the scruff of her shirt and tossed her across the room. Pan hit the wall face first and slid to the ground, wheezing. Her head was spinning, and she was seeing stars. Within seconds, Vegeta was standing over her again. With a feral cry, Pan raised her power to its greatest extent, knocking the Ouji away. She jumped up and attacked wildly. After getting a few fierce hits in, she was pushed back and pummeled by Vegeta. She almost expected to see him make the jump to Super Saiya-jin four. But she wasn't giving up. She threw up her arms in defense, and after blocking a few of his more critical attacks, Pan shot an overpowered ki blast at him, sending him reeling. He vanished again, and Pan was sent into the wall seconds later. The two continued battling on instinct before Pan eventually grew tired and lost to her sensei.

With a growl of frustration, she sat in the middle of the Gravity Room, catching her breath. She allowed herself to fall onto her back, still breathing heavily. Vegeta set the gravity back to normal and grabbed a towel.

"How did you do it?" Pan asked.

Vegeta answered with his own question, "Do what, brat?"

"Go Super Saiya-jin. What finally made you change?"

"I was at the end of my rope because Kakarott had ascended and I had not. It was that rage and my desperation that finally triggered my ascension," Vegeta admitted.

"Well I'd say I'm pretty desperate here, but I guess I'm not angry enough."

Vegeta laughed at his pupil before sitting next to her.

"Kakarott changed after Frieza killed his friends. Your father changed during intense training with Kakarott in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber. Your uncle and Trunks just changed for no particular reason when they were children," Vegeta stated. Pan sighed.

"Well, I haven't just randomly gone Super Saiya-jin, and I doubt I'll ever train in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, so I guess I have to wait until someone close to me dies," she joked morbidly.

"Don't get so distraught. With enough time, you too will ascend."

"I'd better."

Vegeta laughed again before standing up. Pan continued to lie in the middle of the room, her breathing finally even. He offered his hand, which she took and was pulled to her feet. The sweaty, bloody, and bruised duo walked carelessly through the house and into the kitchen in search of food. After getting chewed out by Bulma and Chi-Chi and grabbing a bite to eat, the two went their separate ways. Pan walked up to her room, took a shower, ate a Senzu bean, and changed into her pajamas. She collapsed face first onto her bed. Just before sleep captured her, Pan heard a rapping at the door. She rolled onto her back.

"Come in," she called. Bra stepped into the room, closing the door behind her.

"Hey, Pan-chan. How was your day?" she asked.

"It was alright. I didn't get one of the things I really wanted though," she answered.

"What's that?"

"I really wanted to become a Super Saiya-jin by the time my birthday rolled around."

"You don't need to be a Super Saiya-jin just yet. You're already stronger than my brother and Goten."

"Yeah, but I want that cool golden hair, too."

Bra laughed at her friend.

"Pan-chan, what would you say if I told you I wanted to train again?" Bra asked.

"Why the sudden change of mind?"

"Well, after what happened at the mall, I realized that I need to be on top of my game in case something bad happens. That way I can help and won't have to leave you alone again if those guys come back."

"I think that's great, Bra. I'm sure Goten would train you if you asked." She waggled her eyebrows suggestively at her friend.

"You think so?" She completely ignored Pan's gesture.

"Yeah, definitely."

"That would be great!"

Bra jumped up, happy with her friend's answer. She hugged Pan briefly and bounded from the room. Pan sighed. She suddenly couldn't sleep. To clear her mind, she got up, threw open her window, and flew up onto the roof. She could hear her friends having fun in the house below. Bulma's voice rang out above the others, and Pan realized she was drunk. She laughed to herself.

"What's so funny?" Pan jumped at the sound. She really needed to pay more attention to everyone's ki, especially now.

"Mrs. Bulma is drunk," Pan said. Vegeta sat next to her.

"Yes, the woman decided to throw a little party but forgot to invite the guest of honor. Your uncle asked me to retrieve you."

Pan laughed, "She's a silly drunk. I can hear her from up on the roof."

"She is very obnoxious, especially when drunk."

"Is she really that bad?"

"Yes."

Pan laughed again.

"Are you going downstairs or not?" Vegeta asked.

"I think I'll pass. They all sound like they're having lots of fun without me anyway," she answered.

"Hn."

Pan laid back and looked up at the stars. She couldn't wait to go into space. Things were so much more exciting up there. 'Just a couple more weeks,' she thought. Vegeta eyed her suspiciously, noting the forlorn look on her face. H followed her gaze, and soon his own thoughts drifted to space. He thought back to the conversation he had with Bulma earlier that day.

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"Vegeta, this ship is going to be ready by the time the kids graduate, but I'm worried about letting them go," she told him.

"What do you want me to do about it?" he asked.

"Well, I was thinking that Goten and Trunks could go with them. Then I figured that wasn't a good idea, so I think you should go, too."

"You want me to babysit them?"

"Not exactly. They're all adults, Vegeta. They can't be that bad."

"Fine, I'll go, but don't think I don't know why you want me gone. Just know that I don't give a damn about either of you."

He left quickly, leaving Bulma to stew in her thoughts. She could only stare in shock as he left. That was when she decided to throw a party, mostly as an excuse to get drunk.

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Vegeta scowled as he lay on the roof. Did the woman really think him dumb? Of course he noticed what she was doing. Nothing slipped past the Saiya-jin no Ouji. He looked over at Pan, having felt her eyes on him. She looked worried.

"Is something wrong?" she asked.

"It's nothing," he said, his voice more stern than he meant it to be. Pan looked away quickly, pretending to suddenly lose interest. He sighed.

"Brat, listen to me," he said. She looked back over at him, still feigning disinterest. He frowned. Her face instantly turned to one of worry. She sat up.

"What is it, Vegeta-sama?" she asked.

"I'm sure the woman already told you about the spaceship she's working on."

"Yeah," she realized what she said, "Wait! No! You're not supposed to know that I know!"

"Don't worry about it, brat, I won't be tattling on you."

She sighed in relief. Bulma was not a woman to trifle with. She could throw a hissy fit you would never forget, and Pan's sensitive Saiya-jin hearing probably couldn't take such a beating. She wondered how Vegeta managed.

"What about the spaceship, Vegeta-sama?" she pressed.

He sat silently for a while before answering, "I'm going with you."

"Awesome! The trip will be so much fun!"

"Calm down, girl, you haven't let me finish."

"Sorry."

"Do you know why I'm going?"

"Not really."

"I need to get away from this planet for a while."

"I know what you mean. It's so stuffy here."

"I need to get away from the woman."

"Mrs. Bulma? What did she do now?"

"I'm certain you've noticed it by now. The woman is obviously involved with that scar faced loser."

"Yeah, I've noticed." Pan's heart sank at the thought of Bulma hurting Vegeta, but at the same time she felt upset because he seemed to care about her.

"She thinks I give a damn, but I don't. However, it's disgraceful for her to pretend she's with me while sneaking around with him. She's lucky I haven't blasted her yet."

"I'm sorry, Vegeta-sama. Mrs. Bulma is really stupid."

"Why do you insist upon calling her Mrs.?"

"I thought you guys were married."

Vegeta laughed, "As if I, the Saiya-jin no Ouji, would conform to such silly Chikyuu-jin rituals. The woman and I never had a formal marriage. Everyone just assumed it because we had two brats together."

"Oh, I didn't know that."

"You're graduating from that school at the perfect time," he said, "I've been planning to leave for a while anyway, but this way, I'll get to keep a competent sparring partner."

Pan smiled at the sort of compliment, "Yeah, someone has to help me get to Super Saiya-jin."

He smirked. Pan hoped she lifted his spirits.

"I can't wait to go back into space," Pan sighed, lying back down.

"Why is that?"

"It's really relaxing at times, and it's just so much more exciting than sitting around on this planet."

"There will be a bunch of teenagers on the ship. I doubt it'll ever be relaxing."

Pan laughed, "That's true, but maybe I can sneak in a few minutes here and there."

Silence fell between the two. Vegeta sat on the roof, thinking about how he didn't get a birthday present for his pupil. He wondered how long he had cared about such a silly Chikyuu custom. 'Since today,' he thought to himself. He could feel himself succumbing to the strange pull he felt toward Pan. It's not as though he was putting up much of a fight against it, but he knew no one would approve. Since when did he care what they thought? Then he realized he was more worried about what Pan thought. Would she think him disgusting for liking someone who was so much younger than him in Chikyuu years? He was in his prime as a Saiya-jin, and it would be perfectly acceptable on his planet, were it still in existence, for him to court her. Had it been twenty or so years earlier, he would have just taken her, but he had to admit that his time on Chikyuu had softened him up a bit. He didn't mind feeling again, but his pride didn't diminish a bit. That was the only obstacle in his way.

Pan stood up and stretched, "I think it's time for me to go to sleep."

"Good luck trying to sleep while they're still up partying," he warned.

She sighed, "I can try."

Vegeta stood as well, ready to follow her inside.

"Pan," he started. She faced him, worried that something else was bothering him, "I didn't know what I was supposed to get you for your birthday."

Pan flushed. He was trying to apologize for not getting her a present.

"It's fine, Vegeta-sama. No one got me a present today," she answered. He scowled.

"Don't worry about it. You're going into space with us. That's pretty cool. That could be your present to me."

"That's all it takes to please you? My presence?"

Her blush deepened, "Well, I. Um, I just meant--."

She was cut off by Vegeta's resounding laughter.

"What's so funny?" she growled.

"You, brat."

She frowned and crossed her arms over her chest, her blush still present. He laughed some more.

"Stop laughing at me, Vegeta-sama!" she pouted, her tail swishing behind her. He paused for a moment, but burst out in laughter after looking at how serious she was trying to be while her face was so red. She growled and began walking away. When Vegeta's laughing stopped, she turned around, only to find no trace of him. She kept walking toward her room before completely turning back around. She ran right into a smirking Vegeta. Pan fell on her butt, her tail lashing angrily. She looked up at him and frowned again. Instead of laughing, his smirk widened, and he brought her to a stand.

"Silly girl," he said before pulling her into a hug. He managed to completely surprise her again.

While still in his arms, she asked, "Why were you laughing at me, Vegeta-sama?"

"You're very entertaining, brat."

"I'm glad I'm so entertaining, _Ouji-sama_."

She laughed immediately afterward and hugged Vegeta tightly.

"Happy birthday, Pan," he whispered. She hugged him tighter, taking in his sent. 'Kami, he smells good,' she thought. She wanted to stay like that forever, but eventually he pulled away.

"Aren't you going to sleep?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'm pretty tired. Good night, Vegeta-sama."

"Good night."

She smiled at him before descending back to her window. After closing it, she went straight to bed. She found it hard to believe that Vegeta could be so nice. 'It's probably because today is my birthday,' she thought. Shortly afterward, she was sleeping soundly, even over the sounds of her friends partying. Goten never came up to see if she wanted to join the party.

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Life at Capsule Corp. went along smoothly. They all ate dinner together, with Chi-Chi, Videl, Goten, and Pan manning the kitchen. The teens worked on homework, Bulma and Yamcha were generally in the lab, and the others mingled in the living room on occasion. Bulma fixed the Gravity Room, which pleased Vegeta at first. That was until Goten and Bra started hogging it since Bra voiced her desire to start training again. Goten had immediately offered to help. Pan and Vegeta would end up sparring on the lawn until the Gravity Room freed up. Trunks and Marron often sat on the grass, watching the two. Eighteen occasionally coaxed Trunks into sparring, knowing her daughter enjoyed watching the lavender haired Saiya-jin fight.

Goten, Marron, and Trunks finished up their college work a week before Pan and Bra were scheduled to graduate from high school. Goten made it a point to help Bra with her last minute assignments. Vegeta took extra care to stay away from any of the other adults in the house and trained more than usual, which Pan had previously believed to be impossible. She spent most of her remaining time preparing her speech for the graduation ceremony, and Vegeta occasionally passed by to mock her.

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The day before the graduation ceremony at Orange Star High School, Capsule Corp. was buzzing. Bulma constantly held a phone to her ear, making plans for a graduation party. Chi-Chi had already volunteered to cook for the event and Gohan was in charge of organizing the guest list for Bulma. Bra couldn't sit down for more than five minutes at a time, so she and Goten passed the time training the day away. The relief Pan felt at the idea of graduating was completely overshadowed by her excitement over her upcoming trip into space. She told herself it had nothing to do with Vegeta. She fell asleep that night dreaming of the final frontier.

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She woke up and felt it. Freedom. No more high school, which meant no more getting yelled at by her parents for practicing self defense. Pan couldn't hold down her excitement. After a quick shower, she was downstairs in the living room with Bra. Both their mothers were fussing over their caps and gowns. Videl checked multiple times to make sure Pan's tail remained hidden. Eventually, everyone staying at Capsule Corp. stood downstairs, dressed for the occasion. Even Vegeta came downstairs dressed in black slacks and a white button up shirt. Pan forced a conversation with Marron to avoid ogling her handsome sensei.

"Is everyone ready?" Bulma yelled above the noisy group squeezed in her living room. After numerous answers in the affirmative, the aqua haired scientist led them out of the house. Even though most could fly, they all piled into hover cars for the sake of normalcy. As soon as they arrived, Bra and Pan rushed off to take their spots as top ten of their class. They sat in two of the ten chairs stationed on the stage, which sat in the middle of the school's football field. Over 400 chairs were aligned just in front of the stage for the rest of the graduating class. Guests took seats in the bleachers on the home team's side. The entire field fell silent as the school principal began his speech.

"Today is a very special day. This class has been very successful, and I'm proud of all our graduating seniors. To start the ceremony off, the top ten students will present their speeches. Our first speaker is a special case. Though she found her way into trouble at times, this young lady has proven herself worthy of a top ten position. Ladies and gentlemen, please give your full attention to Miss Pan Son," the principal said, motioning for Pan to come forward. The audience burst into applause and Pan could swear she heard Bulma shouting her name. She smiled shyly before standing up. Seconds passed and she stood in the same spot, her eyes glued to the sky. The principal laughed nervously.

"Miss Son," he whispered, "please give your speech."

In the stands, Vegeta looked up and realized what caught Pan's attention. Hovering in the air were Akki, Kain, and Ziust. The other warriors in the stand soon caught on as well. After a few more seconds, everyone was gawking up at the three men floating in the sky. Vegeta jumped up, ready to attack. As he jumped up, his heart sank to the floor. The Saiya-jin no Ouji wasted no time. He powered up to Super Saiya-jin 2 and launched himself at the men. Akki swooped down, shooting a ki blast at a stunned Pan. She hit her seat and tumbled off the stage, taking her chair with her. Akki didn't stop his flight. He grabbed Bra, flew back up to his companions, and vanished. Vegeta roared his daughter's name, just missing her captors as they disappeared. She was gone. Bulma screamed. Pan jumped up quickly from her place on the ground. When she looked up, the only person she saw was Vegeta. She flew up to him, barely containing her anger. The audience below sat in shocked silence. Vegeta turned to Pan, and she could almost feel his anger burning her. His teal eyes were so intense.

"What do we do?" she asked.

"We have to find her," he answered with a growl.

"I can't sense her."

"Neither can I."

Vegeta and Pan rushed over to their families. People began fleeing. Bulma's eyes were already swollen from her crying.

"Vegeta!" she cried, "How could you let them take her!"

Vegeta's eyes widened.

"You have to get her back!" Bulma continued to yell at him.

"Bulma, get a hold of yourself! You know Vegeta didn't just let them take her. We need to focus on finding her now," Chi-Chi said. Goten stood up.

Not bothering with the hover cars, those who could fly grabbed those who couldn't and took off into the sky. Everyone left at the ceremony ran away screaming.

Twelve people suddenly appeared in the living room of Capsule Corp. Bulma's crying only worsened, and it was Yamcha who comforted her.

"What do we do?" Goten asked, clearly trying to stifle his panic.

"How do we find her?" Videl asked.

"I can't sense her ki at all," Trunks said.

Everyone began talking at once, save Pan and Vegeta. Pan jumped on the couch and beat Vegeta to the chase.

"Be quiet everyone!" she roared over the group. They all stopped and stared at her, "This isn't going to solve anything. We won't find her by bickering. We need to think of a way to find her. We know we can't sense her ki, so we need to think of where they might have taken her."

"We don't know anything about those men, so how will we even be able to guess where they took her?" Marron asked.

"That's not entirely true," Bulma sniffled. All eyes turned to her.

"What are you talking about, woman?" Vegeta growled, still in his Super Saiya-jin form.

"I've—I've seen that man before," she mumbled.

"What!" Krillin shouted, clearly gawking at Bulma.

"I said I've seen him before," she said, louder this time.

"Where? Why didn't you say anything before?" Videl asked.

"I was too scared. I saw him on Namek, and I think he was searching for the Dragonballs," she started.

"What!" Yamcha yelled. His surprise and anger were apparent on his face.

"Yamcha, please let me finish," Bulma said, "He looked so strange but so Chikyuu-jin. I asked Dende if he knew where the other Chikyuu-jin came from. He said the man wasn't a Chikyuu-jin, but he came from a planet called Iroka."

"Are you sure he'll go to that planet? And do you even know where it is?" Krillin asked.

"You remember that scouter I had? Well, it was connected to an intergalactic mainframe, which showed me maps, languages, and all sorts of other things, but I'm not sure if that's where he'll go," Bulma answered, her head bowed in grief.

"So you have directions to his planet?" Pan asked.

"Yes." Bulma said.

"Then we need to leave now! It's the only lead we have!" Pan shouted.

"Pan, honey, it takes time to prepare a spaceship," Videl said, coaxing her daughter down from the couch.

"I have a spaceship ready to go," Bulma informed.

"Why?" Marron asked.

"It was supposed to be a surprise for Pan and Bra," Bulma started crying again when she spoke her missing daughter's name, "Pan wanted to go to space, so I was secretly getting a ship ready for her."

"That's convenient," Eighteen mumbled.

"There's no more time to waste with idle talk. We need to leave now," Vegeta commanded. He lowered his power, and his hair and eyes returned to normal.

"Right." Bulma made her way to her lab, the others following behind her. When they were all inside, Bulma spoke again, "I set aside supplies specifically for Vegeta, Trunks, Goten, and Pan, so they're the ones that have to go," she announced.

"What? Panny can't go off into space again!" Gohan objected.

"Papa, I have to go! I need to save Bra!" Pan yelled.

"Let her come with us, Gohan. She's as strong as you are, and we don't know what to expect out there," Vegeta said. Videl nodded and put her hand on her husband's shoulder. He grumbled, and Pan jumped into the ship after throwing off her graduation cap and gown. She wore an outfit identical to Vegeta's, refusing to wear a dress like the other girls. She would have laughed at their likeness if the situation weren't so dire. Vegeta jumped in after her, calling out to Bulma, "I need those directions, woman."

"They're already in the computer. You just have to search for 'Iroka'. I programmed multiple solar systems in it so you'd have a lot to explore," Bulma said. Goten and Trunks jumped into the ship after she finished.

"Be careful, Panny!" Gohan shouted.

"I will!" she called back, poking her head out of the door briefly, "Protect Chikyuu while we're gone, Papa!"

Videl fought back her tears. There was no other choice. They didn't have time to prepare anyone else's belongings. Those four had to go, and no questions could be asked. Bulma ushered them all away from the ship into a nearby room. She began pressing an elaborate sequence of buttons, pausing before running her fingers over the last keystroke. She tapped a button on the wall and spoke, "I have faith in you all. Please bring my little girl home."

Inside the ship, Vegeta and Trunks took the front two seats, pressing their own sequence of buttons.

"We'll bring her home, Bulma. I promise," Goten vowed. A beeping sound signaled the countdown. Less than a minute later, the ship began to shake. A hatch opened in the ceiling of Bulma's lab. Those who stayed behind stared in awe as the ship lifted off. It quickly became a tiny black speck in the sky and completely disappeared even quicker. Bulma fainted into Yamcha's arms.

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Bra fell onto a marble floor. Her head was spinning, and she had no idea where she was. A pair of black, finely polished shoes appeared in her line of sight.

"Hello, my dear," spoke a melodic voice. She didn't have to look up to know who stood in front of her. A chill ran up her spine. She looked up. His eyes glowed green.

"I've been waiting for this moment for a long time," he said. She backed away, unsure of what to expect. Kain and Ziust stood nearby, staring at her. She glared at them, giving Ziust an especially nasty look.

"You've scared her, Master," Ziust hissed.

"I believe you're right, Ziust," Akki smirked, "Take her to her quarters, and give her time to get used to my home. She'll be here for a while."

Bra gasped. Akki's two henchmen grabbed the Hime and carried her away. They walked a short distance down a hallway before stopping in front of a giant wooden door. It was carved elegantly, but Bra didn't have much time to admire it. After taking a few steps inside, they tossed her to the floor, walked out the door, and locked it behind them. She sighed and took a seat on the bed which sat at the center of the room. The comforter was blood red, along with the curtains. There was a single dresser and a small door which Bra assumed led to a bathroom. She didn't know anything about the place she was in and decided it would be best to just stay put for the time being.

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As the ship careened through space at speeds previously unfathomable, Trunks and Goten took the time to explore their makeshift home. They found that the ship contained a kitchen, Gravity Room, lounge area, sleeping quarters, and cockpit. There were two floors on the ship, the bottom floor containing the cockpit and the gravity room and the top floor containing everything else. Currently, Trunks and Goten were rifling around in their rooms upstairs, finding tailored clothes and training gear. Bulma had clothes specifically made for the trip, all of which represented styles she found were common on other planets. Their training gear resembled the Saiya-jin armor Vegeta used to wear. The two male demi-Saiya-jins changed clothes, wanting to wear something more comfortable. They wore normal Chikyuu clothing, not wanting to scare Pan and Vegeta with some of the strange outfits they found in their rooms. While they explored, Pan spoke to Vegeta.

"Do you think she'll be on that planet?" Pan asked, moving up to the seat Trunks had originally been sitting in.

"I can't be certain, but those men better hope we're on the wrong track, because when I find them, they will die slow, painful deaths," he responded. His hand balled into fists on the armrests of his chair. Pan gently placed a hand on his arm, hoping to calm him.

"I'll do whatever I can to help you bring her back, Vegeta-sama," she swore.

"I know, brat."

Vegeta really did know. He could tell from his pupil's body language that she would have given anything to save Bra. He glanced over to see Pan's tail hanging over the side of her chair, wagging lazily. He felt hypnotized. Pan caught him staring.

"Do you miss it?" she asked.

"Yes," he answered, knowing she referred to his lost tail.

"Maybe it'll grow back like mine did."

"Maybe."

Trunks and Goten returned to the cockpit.

"You guys have normal clothes upstairs, just so you know," Goten said. Pan looked and saw him in a loose pair of blue jeans and an olive green tank top. His hair, which he had grown back out, hung to his shoulders. Trunks wore a pair of black shorts and a tight brown T-shirt, but Pan didn't pay him much attention. He kept his hair short.

"I'm actually pretty comfortable in this," Pan said. Goten laughed.

"You're practically in a suit, Pan-chan," he chuckled.

"Yeah, you look like some mafia member, out to get revenge," Trunks added, laughing with his friend.

"I kind of am," Pan said. Vegeta smirked in amusement.

"Well, you can stay here in your mafia suit, but I'm going to get something to eat," Goten said, putting both his hands behind his head and walking to the kitchen. Trunks followed. Pan sighed.

"This is going to be a long trip," she groaned.

"At least there is a Gravity Room," Vegeta pointed out.

"True, I'll get to spend my time kicking your butt, Vegeta-sama," she smirked playfully.

"Is that a fact?" he said, quirking a brow at her.

"You bet!"

"We can test that theory right now, brat."

"You're on!"

They left for the Gravity Room and spent the next couple hours breaking in the room and ruining their dress suits. Pan was glad to find a way to keep her mind of Bra. The sadness she felt at the loss of her friend was immense, but she knew it had to be a thousand times worse for Vegeta. She would do anything in her power to keep him from becoming too upset about it, and when they found Bra, she would help him bring her home.

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There you have it. Now our heroes are in space! To my reviewers:

Piccolo is green: Thanks again! 

trinasheart: Glad you still like it.

Dark Kitten Saki: Thank you for stopping by and reading!


	6. Are We There Yet?

Author's Note: It's going to seem like another lame excuse, but I started school back just recently, and they are piling on the work. Though, I guess it's my fault for taking a bunch of Science/Engineering courses. The good thing about college is that I can write down ideas and whatnot during class without getting in trouble. This chapter has been planned out for a little while, and I do intend to finish this story. I would hate to leave my first story sitting there without a conclusion. Also, I got a cool new haircut. Just saying.

Disclaimer: I don't own Dragonball Z or any of the characters in said universe, but I do own Akki and company.

" " ~talking

' ' ~thinking

Chapter 6: Are We There Yet?

Pan groggily cracked one eye open, then the other. Her head was pounding and her body ached. She wiped the crust from her eyes and sat up, holding onto her head when a wave of vertigo washed over her.

"Ugh. What happened?" she asked aloud.

"I knocked you out last night, and I suppose you're just now waking up," Vegeta chuckled. Pan's eyes shot completely open, and she jumped to her feet.

Memories flooded back into her mind. She recalled Vegeta beating the shit out of her, and felt every bit of it still. She specifically remembered getting really angry and trying to blast her sensei, who dodged, causing her attack to hit the control panel instead. The gravity dropped back to normal and the lights shut off, but Vegeta continued to smack her around. Pan snapped back into reality, eying the Ouji carefully. He felt her eyes on him and turned to smirk briefly before going back to work.

"What are you doing, Vegeta-sama?" she asked, pretending she didn't see that arrogant, yet sexy, smirk. 'I didn't just think that,' Pan denied. Her tail swung nervously behind her. When her sensei spun around to answer his pupil, he noticed her nervousness but didn't mention it.

"Well I _was _fixing the damage done to the control panel by a certain female Saiya-jin, but now that I can smell you, I've lost my concentration," he replied, the smirk creeping its way back onto his flushed but growled at the Ouji. With her head held high, she proudly walked out of the Gravity Room, her tail lashing in annoyance behind her. Vegeta watched her leave, but he quickly adjusted his gaze when Goten walked in right after she disappeared from sight.

"Hey, Vegeta! Is it alright if Trunks and I use the Gravity Room for a little while?" he asked politely.

"It's been damaged by your niece. Tell Trunks to get down here and fix it, then the two of you can have it," he answered, already taking his leave. He walked to his room, passing the door to the shower on his way. He heard the water running and couldn't contain the first few images that flooded his mind. He shook the thoughts away and decided meditating would do him some good. As he sat cross legged in the middle of the floor in his room, he overheard Goten talking to Trunks, most likely about fixing the Gravity Room.

"Hey Trunks, Vegeta says the Gravity Room is a bit damaged, but if you fix it, we can use it," Goten said.

"Why should I have to fix it? He's the one who broke it," the lavender haired royal huffed.

"Actually, he said Pan-chan busted it. She must be getting really strong. Sooner or later, she'll be a Super Saiya-jin and we won't stand a chance against her!" Goten laughed, proud of his niece.

"I bet she'd look hot as a Super Saiya-jin," Trunks mused.

"Aw, come on man! She's my niece! Don't say things like that!"

"Sorry, but you know I like Pan."

"I know, and that's all I really need to know about it. Let's go train."

"Do you think you could talk to her for me?"

"What? Why? Can't you talk to her?"

"I already tried, but I did it all wrong. Maybe if you talked to her, she wouldn't think I'm such a bad guy. You wouldn't lie to her about something like that."

"That would be weird. Just try talking to her again, but be a little nicer or something."

"Goten," Trunks leaned in but Vegeta could still hear him, even when he lowered his voice, "I'll talk to Bra for you when we rescue her. Maybe we could even set it up to where _you _save her."

"Really? You'd talk to her about me?"

"Yeah, but only if you talk to Pan."

"Alright, I'll do it, but you'd better not be lying about this."

"Of course I'll talk to her about you, you're my best friend."

Goten smiled widely at his friend, his mind racing with thoughts of the aqua haired Hime. Vegeta found himself unable to concentrate. There was no way he was going to let that brat of a son of his take what was rightfully his. He was superior to Trunks in every way. He was the Ouji, a full blooded Saiya-jin, and had the ability to go Super Saiya-jin 4. Vegeta growled angrily and stood up. Since when did he care who his son chased after? 'Since he started liking Pan,' his mind whispered.

"Shut up," he grumbled.

'It's true,' his mind chuckled. He shook his head. This whole situation was taxing his sanity. His competitive feelings toward his son failed to die down. Pan was too good for Trunks, especially after that little stunt the boy pulled. Now that they were all in a ship together in the middle of nowhere, Trunks would probably make another move. Vegeta decided to watch him very closely. He suddenly felt the urge to emasculate his son, so he made for the first floor of the ship. As he walked down the hall, he heard the bathroom door slide open. He looked over his shoulder, catching a glimpse of Pan sprinting to her room, wrapped in only a towel. He mentally stowed the image away.

Pan made it to her room as quickly as possible. 'I really need to remember to bring extra clothes with me, or find a way to learn Grandpa's Instant Transmission technique,' she thought. She rifled through her drawers, hoping to find some normal clothes to dress in. Bulma had certainly packed her some weird outfits. Finally she settled for an outfit similar to what she'd seen her father wear when he was little. The kimono-like top was maroon and black, and the pants were black. She put on socks, a pair of slip-on black shoes, and tied her hair back into a bun. After a quick stretch, Pan hurried downstairs, her stomach rumbling restlessly. The kitchen became a blur of maroon and black as Pan dashed around, preparing a large meal for herself. The food disappeared faster than she prepared it. With a contented sigh, she cleared the table. When she finished, Pan realized just how empty the ship felt. After a second of concentrating, she found Vegeta's ki in the Gravity Room. Of course the others were with him too, and it felt like they were fighting. She flushed slightly when she realized who she looked for first. Her feet carried her there before she thought about it further.

When she made it to Gravity Room door, Pan paused and peeked through the window that sat eye level with her. Her jaw went slack when she saw Vegeta, who happened to be shirtless, fighting both Trunks and Goten. All three males were Super Saiya-jin, though Vegeta was at the second level, a state which Goten and Trunks had yet to reach. Pan quickly snapped her jaw shut, not wanting to drool on her clean clothes. Her sensei caught her gaze and shot her the most sensual smirk she'd ever seen, which sent her cheeks ablaze. She watched as Goten lunged for Vegeta, who merely sidestepped him. He struck the youngest Son boy in the back, sending him into the wall, only to fall to the ground unconscious, his hair returning to black. Vegeta dropped his power as well, though of his own accord, and faced Trunks in his normal form. His son shot him a glare, knowing the Ouji planned to embarrass him. Vegeta wasn't the only one who had noticed Pan after all. Pan leaned in closer to the glass without realizing, fully enjoying the sight of her sensei fighting. She never really had the time to watch him when she sparred with him; she had to focus all her energy on fending him off. Everything about him screamed royalty. His attacks were so elegant, yet masculine. His attitude was so cocky and prideful. He was beyond handsome. Pan found herself getting far too excited over watching Vegeta, to the point where she wasn't even really watching anymore. When she snapped out of it, she refocused her attention on the spar going on inside. Vegeta certainly wasn't being kind to his son. Trunks sported a plethora of scratches and bruises and could barely remain standing. The Saiya-jin no Ouji had his own cuts and bruises but looked relatively clean and more than ready to continue. When his gaze fell to his son, Pan saw a great deal of anger burning in those endless black pools. Something was bothering him, and he was taking it out on Goten and Trunks, though Goten now lay in an unconscious heap on the other side of the room. The longer she watched, and the closer she looked, Pan came to realize Vegeta was actually angry with his son. 'What did I miss?' she asked herself. She prayed to Kami something bad didn't happen. She jinxed it.

It happened so fast, Pan almost missed it. Vegeta made to swing at his son, planning to finish it with a single blow, but the ship shook violently, ruining his orientation. Sparks flew from the inside and outside of the Gravity Room. Pan leapt back from the sudden shock, only to hunch low to the ground with her hands over her head to protect herself from the shower of sparks around her. Inside the Gravity Room, the controls went haywire, upping the gravity to its maximum. In his weakened state, Trunks couldn't withstand the sudden change of force and collapsed instantly, unconscious. Vegeta powered back up to the second level of Super Saiya-jin, only to find his knees attempting to buckle underneath him. He had no idea how high the gravity had been set to, for the readout only said 'MAX'. Wasting no time, the Ouji raised his ki once more, ascending to Super Saiya-jin 4. He ran to the controls, needing to shut the room down before Trunks and Goten were crushed by the pressure.

Pan stood after the initial shock dissipated and peered into the Gravity Room. She gasped when she saw her sensei at his highest power, and her heart fell when she saw her Uncle and childhood friend unconscious on the floor. She reached for the door, not sure what happened. Normally, when the door was opened while the room's gravity was altered, the console immediately reset it to normal to keep the opener of the door from receiving a nasty surprise. With the controls fried, the failsafe failed to trigger. Vegeta turned as his pupil swung the door open.

"Pan! No!" he shouted. She looked at him with confusion before moving to enter the room. Not knowing what else to do, Vegeta quickly shot a weak ki blast at her. Pan didn't expect her sensei to attack her at such a time; she could only stare in shock as a ball of energy collided with her, sending her sailing across the outer room. Unable to fix the machine with such a small window of time available, Vegeta grabbed his son and Goten and flew from the room as fast as he could. Pan stood in front of him, her head bowed as she brushed herself off. When she tilted her head up, her eyes were painted with confusion. Her expression quickly changed to anger.

"What in Kami's name did I do to deserve that, Vegeta-sama?" she yelled, paying no attention to her friend and uncle on the ground. Vegeta cringed at her volume.

"I saved you, brat. You should be thanking me," he retorted.

"I didn't realize that blasting someone who's trying to help is considered saving her!"

"You would have ended up on the floor like Trunks and Goten!"

Pan growled. Vegeta could be such a jerk sometimes.

"I opened the door, and you just blasted me! I didn't even get a chance to go in and help! And you were just at the control panel doing nothing!" she yelled, her pride not allowing her to take such an insult. She knew somewhere in her mind that her mentor would never attack her without reason. She could trust him fully. However, that rational part of her mind took a back seat to her temper and pride. Unfortunately, Vegeta was the most prideful and temperamental Saiya-jin around, and he planned to remind her of this.

"I was at the control panel because the gravity got switched to maximum, and when you opened the door, it didn't go back to normal like it was supposed to! If you had been paying attention, you would have noticed it when the control panel erupted in _sparks_! Better yet, if you could _actually_ turn Super Saiya-jin, I might not have had to worry about you too, and you could have helped, though I honestly doubt that someone with such diluted blood could manage such a feat!" he huffed, a tsunami of regret slamming into him as soon as the last word left his mouth. Pan's face dropped into an unreadable mask, but Vegeta could see the anger and pain burning in her eyes. They didn't have time to linger on it, though. The shipped rocked again, sending the arguing pair tumbling around the ship. Pan instantly snapped into soldier mode, ready to combat whatever was attacking the ship. Vegeta couldn't help but admire her readiness, even at such a time. The ship shook a third time before the Saiya-jin no Ouji took at seat in the cockpit and checked all the monitors. The autopilot controls were shot.

"Another ship is attacking us," he said mechanically.

"Can we fight them off?" Pan asked.

"We have no weapons online. I have to land."

With that, Vegeta performed a series of maneuvers, attempting to lose the other ship and land his own. The nearest planet was a shade of light pink with even lighter, almost white, pink clouds circling around it like cotton candy. Vegeta hoped the thick swirling clouds would throw the other ship's pilot off so he could escape. They passed though the atmosphere, and when the ship was no longer super heated from entering said atmosphere, Pan ran to the ship's main door. Vegeta could only look back in wonder. He had to remain in control of the ship, which meant staying in his seat.

"Where are you going?" he questioned, trying to keep the worry from his voice.

"If you must know, _Ouji-sama_, I'm going to throw them off our trail," she called, disappearing from his sight. Vegeta scoffed at her sarcasm. He deserved it, but his pride was screaming otherwise. He was the Ouji and could talk to anyone anyway he pleased. If that was the case, why did he still feel guilty? After a quick shrug, he returned his attention to the task at hand. Meanwhile, Pan stood in front of the ship door, ready to open it. When she activated the opening mechanism, nothing happened. With an angered roar, she swung the door open, almost tearing it from the ship. She leaned out of the opening and searched the sky for the enemy ship. Once she spotted it, she sent a volley of ki blasts at it. When it tore through the clouds unscathed, her temper flared further.

"Me? Not paying attention? I don't think so!" she yelled, sending a stronger wave of attacks, but still the ship continued its advance.

"Call _me _weak, will you!" she brought her hands to her side, a familiar feeling taking over her.

"Kamehameha!" the bright blue wave of energy tore through the sky and struck the pursuing ship at its heart. It exploded with a deafening roar. Pan stuck her head back inside the ship and pulled the door closed behind her. A puff of air escaped the annoyed Saiya-jin as she made her way back into the cockpit. She didn't even want to look at Vegeta. When she turned the corner leading to her destination, she saw him. He remained in his Super Saiya-jin 4 form, and she could not smother the desire to be near him. He just looked so wonderful, and she could feel his power pouring off him in waves. So strong...

Strong. Something he accusing her of being the exact opposite of. Her anger rose again. He refused to turn around, but his tail swayed anxiously behind him. He almost seemed nervous. Pan chuckled inwardly at the thought. His tail only came back while he was Super Saiya-jin 4, so he must have forgotten that it reflected his emotions on its own. Perhaps he was feeling bad about what he said and was wondering how to apologize. She wanted to stay mad at him, he had insulted everything she worked for, but she just couldn't do it. Her anger melted away when he turned around in his swivel chair, his eyes burning with an intensity she'd never seen before. She felt drawn to him, her feet moving of her own accord. When she next blinked, she was standing right in front of him. Uncertainty danced across her face, but his gaze never changed. What was he doing to her? Motion in the corner of her eye snapped her out of it. She tore her gaze from Vegeta's and saw Goten struggling to sit up.

"Uncle Goten!" she cried and ran to his aid. Vegeta blinked a few times and snapped out of it himself. He allowed his power to drop. The red fur that once covered his body disappeared and his hair receded to its normal length. He hated to see the power go. He watched as Pan helped her relative to a sitting position, asking him all the while if he was okay. Goten rose to his feet after regaining his senses.

"What happened?" he asked groggily.

"Vegeta-sama knocked you out while you were sparring with him, then our ship got attacked and we had to land on whatever planet it is we're on now," Pan explained.

"Wow, Vegeta. You really did a number on me," Goten laughed. Vegeta merely grunted in response. The older of the Sons looked around the room, his eyes finally falling on Trunks.

"You must have knocked him out too," he said.

"No, when the other ship attacked us, it tampered with all the electric components of the ship, including the control panel in the Gravity Room. It switched the gravity to maximum, which caught Trunks off guard, so he fell to the ground with enough force to get knocked out," Vegeta explained.

"Oh man, is he alright? Is the Gravity Room still going haywire?"

"The boy should be fine, but I had to get the two of you out of there before the gravity crushed you, so the controls are still fried."

"That's not good. Now we'll be delayed in our trip to save Bra. At least you weren't in there with us Pan-chan. If you were, Vegeta would have had to save all three of us."

Goten laughed at his own joke. Pan grumbled under her breath, knowing what he said was true. Vegeta felt that he should have smirked or mocked her but couldn't bring himself to do it. 'Must be getting soft,' his mind chided. He rolled his eyes.

There was silence. Goten shifted nervously, his gaze jumping from his fallen friend to the Gravity Room and back again. He couldn't sit still any longer, and his head was bursting with questions. When he had first come to, he had seen Pan walking up to Vegeta, a dazed look in her eyes. It seemed like his little niece was under a spell. She looked like she wanted to _kiss_ Vegeta! Then he suddenly wondered what could have possibly compelled her to do such a thing. The thought was suddenly replaced by an even bigger question. Where the Hell did they crash land? This question won out and left his mouth before he could think twice.

"Where are we?" he asked, turning to a shirtless Vegeta.

"I'm not sure. The other ship managed to fry most of the electronics on board. I had to manually land the ship," the Ouji answered gruffly.

"What happened to the other ship?" Goten wondered aloud. He knew they weren't in any immediate danger because Vegeta and Pan had both lowered their ki to a normal level, and he couldn't sense any danger himself, but he was curious anyway.

"I blew it up," Pan said, pointing to herself to emphasize her answer.

"This one might be a stretch, but do you know who was piloting the other ship?" the older Son onboard asked, though he didn't really expect much of an answer.

"No, but I assume it was either space pirates or Akki's men, neither of which will be missed," Vegeta scoffed.

"Right, so should we go exploring or what?"

"What if more ships come?" Pan countered.

"She's right," said Vegeta, "we should repair the ship and be back on our way as soon as possible."

"We need to wake Trunks up," Pan started, "he'll be able to make repairs the fastest."

"I am perfectly capable of repairing this bucket of bolts myself," the Ouji stated proudly. She rolled her eyes discreetly at her sensei.

"Need any help, Vegeta?" Goten offered.

"You can help by waking Trunks up."

Goten bent down next to his friend without another word and shook him. Vegeta pulled a panel off the wall near the controls in the cockpit. Pan knelt down next to her Uncle. The Ouji made quick work of the ship's main controls.

"I'm going to work on the Gravity Room. No one comes in after me until I say so. The gravity is still at maximum and would crush you. Do you understand?" Vegeta questioned, shifting his hard stare between niece and uncle.

"Got it, Vegeta," the older of the two responded. The Saiya-jin no Ouji turn his full attention to Pan, who failed to answer.

"Brat, I asked you a question," he growled, not enjoying her sudden silent treatment. She slowly leveled her gaze on him, her eyes burning with a newly awakened anger.

"Of course, _Ouji-sama_, your wish is my command," she drawled. He growled in irritation, golden energy suddenly surrounding him. The sight of a Super Saiya-jin 4 Vegeta suddenly graced the presence of every conscious individual aboard the vessel. Pan dropped her eye contact with disinterest, angering her sensei further. He knew she admired his strength and adored seeing him in such a powerful form. She told him so numerous times in her youth. The angered Ouji stomped off to the Gravity Room. When he was certain Vegeta was nowhere nearby, Goten spoke.

"What's the deal with you two?" His voice was full of concern.

"He thinks I'm lower than shit, that's the deal," she barked.

"Aw, Pan-chan, Vegeta doesn't think that."

"Then why did he say it?"

The ebony haired young man allowed an uncharacteristically deep frown to adorn his face.

"He insults everybody, just ignore it. That's what I do," he said after quickly replacing his frown with a smile. Pan wouldn't fall for it, he knew.

"I can't just ignore it, Goten. He's never said anything like that to me and meant it," she said, attempting to mask the sorrow in her voice. Goten frowned again.

"It doesn't matter. You should just forget about it."

"I said I can't! I don't want Vegeta-sama thinking that about me!"

"It doesn't matter what he thinks of you, Pan-chan. Plenty of other people think you're great, like Trunks here."

"Trunks?"

"Yeah, he's a great guy, you know." His eyes shifted about nervously.

"What is this, Uncle Goten, match makers? I honestly don't care what Trunks thinks about me. He's an ass."

Goten couldn't help but chuckle, but his curiosity grew as he did so.

"Why do care so much about what Vegeta has to say about you? And why is Trunks such an ass?"

"We can talk about that later. Right now, you need to wake the ass up."

"Okay, but you're going to tell me later, even if I have to tickle it out of you!"

Pan laughed at her silly uncle, her mind desperately trying to take his advice and ignore what her sensei said. She wasn't making much progress.

"I need some air," she said before standing up and moving to the control console. After a few minutes, she turned back to her uncle.

"The air here is breathable. I'll be back in a bit."

Goten watched his niece go, torn between giving her the space she clearly wanted and chasing after her like his protective family instincts told him to. He turned away and let her leave after giving her a quiet 'goodbye'. Annoyed that his friend still wouldn't wake, Goten slapped Trunks harshly. Trunks bolted upright, nearly knocking heads with his friend in the process. His hand shot to his cheek.

"What the Hell, Goten!" he yelled.

"You wouldn't wake up," was all he said.

"You could have poured water on me or something, sheesh."

"I didn't think about that."

"What happened?"

"I don't really know all of it myself, but I can tell you what I do know. Vegeta knocked me out, and I suddenly woke up and you and I were on the ground, and Pan was walking up to your dad. Then she snapped out of it when she saw me trying to get up," Trunks held up a hand to stop him.

"Pan snapped out of what?"

"Oh," Goten's eyes went wide. He couldn't tell Trunks that he thought Pan was going kiss Vegeta.

"Oh, what?"

"No, nothing. I mean, she uh, she was looking pretty uh, you know, mad. Yes! She was really mad at your dad!"

"What a surprise. Father must have said something upsetting to her. Maybe I should go talk to her and see if she's okay."

"Don't you want to know what happened while you were out first?"

"Sure Goten, but now's the perfect time to get on Pan's good side, so make it quick."

Goten sighed, "Well, I woke up, so Pan helped me sit up, and then they told me we were attacked by some ship, which messed up a lot of the electronics and somehow screwed up the Gravity Room controls, so the gravity got set to max, which almost killed you and me. But Vegeta saved us by going Super Saiya-jin 4, and he's trying to fix it now. Pan blew the bad guys up and now she's trying to clear her head because Vegeta insulted her pretty badly I think."

He sucked in a deep breath when he finished.

"So Father drove her away? Is she in her room or something? I should really go talk to her."

"She's not in her room."

"Well where did she go? I can't sense her."

"She left the ship, and I don't really know where she went."

"You let her go out there all by herself?"

"Well yeah, she's a big girl, and she was pretty upset about whatever Vegeta said to her."

"I can't believe she's out there! We don't even know what's on this planet! Didn't she learn her lesson when we were looking for the Black Star Dragonballs?"

"She's a lot stronger now, Trunks. She can take care of herself."

"Father must have said something terrible to make her run away like that. I figured she just would have punched him."

"She didn't really tell me what he said."

"Well I'm going to find out. I'm tired of him being so tough on her. Maybe I should be training her."

Goten laughed, "Don't be silly, Trunks. Pan could kick your ass any day of the week. Vegeta's the best teacher for her."

"Don't side with _him _Goten. He's always screwing things up," Trunks growled, the beating he received from his father earlier still fresh on his mind. He hadn't even done anything this time. Vegeta just felt like showing Pan how much weaker he was than his father. So what if he couldn't go Super Saiya-jin 4. The more he thought about it, the angrier he got, until he decided he would take it up with his father. Goten watched his friend rise and stomp of toward the Gravity Room. He sighed and decided a nice shower was in order.

When Trunks made it to the Gravity Room, he stopped at the doorway, wary of Goten's story. He saw his father in his Super Saiya-jin 4 form, tinkering away at the control panel. Sweat was already collecting on his brow, and Trunks could tell the gravity was taking its toll. How high had Bulma managed to push it? Trunks didn't even know. He knew Vegeta could sense him standing there, but he didn't turn to face him. This only angered Trunks further, pushing him to yell at his father.

"What did you say to Pan?" he yelled from the doorway. Vegeta turned his head just barely.

"What are you going on about, boy?" he grumbled.

"Goten told me Pan was upset and took off because of you! You're always being so tough on her! Why did you insult her? What did you say to her?" Trunks couldn't keep from raising his voice to such a great extent. Vegeta's eyes widened a fraction when he heard that Pan had left, he hadn't even noticed, but his brow furrowed quickly afterward.

"It's none of your business what I said to her."

"I'm going to find her and tell her not to listen to an ass like you! You shouldn't be allowed to train her, or even talk to her!"

"You're awfully protective over someone who thinks less of you than I do."

"Shut up! You don't know what you're talking about!"

Before Trunks could shout anything else out, Vegeta was in his face growling.

"I think you know what I'm talking about, _boy_. But now that she has all her strength, you won't be able to take advantage of her," he laughed.

"That was a mistake, and she's forgiven me!"

"Fat chance."

"I'm going to find her and bring her back to prove that you're wrong."

Vegeta walked back over to the Gravity Room controls and pressed a few buttons. The gravity returned to normal and the Ouji spun around to face his son again.

"I will go find her and bring her back. The ship is fixed and we don't have time to waste on the petty drama you'll create," he said, walking toward the door.

"I can bring her back just fine on my own!" Trunks yelled, leaning angrily toward his father.

"You're too slow," Vegeta teased, crossing his arms over his chest. Trunks growled in frustration and stomped over to the cockpit, plopping down into a chair and mumbling under his breath. He knew he couldn't argue with Vegeta, no matter how badly he wanted to. If he made his father mad enough, he'd just get another beating. He could hear Vegeta chuckled as he left to find Pan.

Pan didn't go far from the ship. The planet itself wasn't nearly as interesting as she had hoped it would be. The ground was just red dirt and the sky was the same pink color all over. There was a slight breeze on occasion. She flew around a little longer before landing on a large black rock she found jutting out of the ground. It looked to be polished to a shine, but it was jagged and rough when she landed on it. She lay on her back, staring at the cotton candy sky as her mind ran rampant.

"I'm not weak," she said to the sky, "the only person I _can't _beat is--"

Vegeta suddenly appeared above her. She jumped.

"Vegeta-sama!"

He couldn't contain the smirk that spread across his face. She had been talking to herself.

"What do you want now? Are you back to mock me because I couldn't destroy that ship that was chasing us fast enough? Or maybe you're here to tell me I'm too weak to be out here by myself. Oh, wait, I know, I bet you're here to--"

"No," Vegeta spoke the word softly, but it was enough to stop Pan. She had expected taunting and arrogant smirks all around. Instead, she was meant with a very solemn faced Vegeta. He remained floating above her. A slight breeze blew, but it was otherwise silent. Pan scooted back and sat up. Vegeta landed and sat directly across from her. Pan tried to find reasons to stay angry at him. She wanted him to feel bad for what he said to her.

"Well why haven't you powered down? It's not like anyone here stands a chance against you," she said, crossing her arms and hoping he realized she was still angry with him for insulting her strength and blood. He frowned but didn't power down. He planned to use everything he could to his advantage, which included Pan's secret love of Super Saiya-jin 4. She grew angrier when he didn't respond.

"Just get it over with already! Tell me how weak I am, or how un-Saiya-jin I am, or how I'll never reach Super Saiya-jin!" she yelled, clenching her fists and slamming her eyes shut to trap the tears that wanted to fall. Vegeta watched her with interest. When she was certain her emotions were under control, she opened her eyes again. They widened with shock. Vegeta was right in her face. Half her mind screamed 'Punch him!' while the other half screamed 'Kiss him!' She didn't know what to do. However, the decision didn't appear to be hers to make. Soft lips met hers in a gentle kiss. Pan thought she would melt. How many times had she dreamed of such a thing? How many times had she prayed to the Gods for a chance like this? She felt a tingling warmth course through her body. She kissed him back, just as softly.

Vegeta's own mind was reeling as well. He wasn't new to kissing by any means, but kissing Pan was different, better. He hadn't been able to stop himself. She was such a passionate individual, so wild tempered. He had planned to find a way to apologize to her without compromising his pride but had ended up closing his eyes and hoping for the best instead. When she kissed him back, he couldn't keep himself from opening his eyes to look at her. She stared back at him, that passion he enjoyed so much dancing in her eyes. He pulled away reluctantly, knowing of Pan's innocence in such matters. He figured he'd make it a special moment she would enjoy remembering. She stared at him for a moment after he pulled away before asking the question that refused to leave her alone.

"Ve-Vegeta-sama, what about Bulma?"

"We've discussed her before. She's been with scar face for years now. It's obvious her loyalty lies with him," he answered. He knew she'd end up feeling that Chikyuu-jin emotion, guilt.

"Perhaps I shouldn't have done that then, if you think I wish to stay with that woman," he said. Pan saw what looked like pain flash across his face.

"I—no, I just don't want anyone to get hurt. I mean, for years I dreamed about th--" she stopped before she could embarrass herself further. A blush already enveloped her cheeks. Vegeta quirked a brow at her.

"Years you say? Now, had I know that, this would have been a lot easier." He smirked at her. Pan's blush deepened.

"Yeah, then you wouldn't have had to insult me like that just so you could kiss me."

Vegeta let out a puff of air but said nothing more.

"I suppose we need to get back to the ship before Trunks or Goten come looking for us," she said. Vegeta nodded and stood, pulling Pan up with him. He drew her close to him.

"Hold on to me, and I'll get us back quickly," he ordered. Pan grabbed onto him tightly before she felt his wonderful energy surround them both. She felt herself rise into the air, trapped against Vegeta by the arms that wrapped around her. Her hands found his tail that flew lazily behind him. She played with it mindlessly, not even realizing what she was doing until a soft sound rumbled through Vegeta's chest. It almost sounded like purring. Pan smiled. She released his tail and let her hands rest on his back as they soared through the air. She found that she couldn't contain herself though. His fur was so soft, and she felt the need to run her fingers through it. Vegeta didn't seem to mind, in fact, he pulled her even closer without a second thought.

They landed too soon for Pan's liking. Vegeta released her, and she slowly pulled away from him. They walked into the ship, and Pan suddenly felt very awkward. How would she and Vegeta maintain any form of relationship in their situation? They were on a mission to save Vegeta's daughter, who happened to be a little older than Pan, and were on a ship with Vegeta's son and Pan's uncle. She sighed as they boarded the ship. Vegeta glanced at her but said nothing. Goten ran up to her when he caught sight of her.

"We're all ready to go, Pan!" he said cheerfully. Pan knew he was anxious to see his crush. Vegeta took a seat in the cockpit next to Trunks, who was already pressing a series of buttons. As the father and son pair prepared the ship, Pan grabbed her uncle by the arm and dragged him toward her room.

"We need to talk."

Goten simply nodded and allowed himself to be dragged along. Pan pulled him into her room, closing and locking the door behind them. She sat on her bed.

"You wanted to know why I think Trunks is an ass and why Vegeta's opinion matters so much to me, right?" she asked. He simply nodded the affirmative.

"I'll tell you, but you have to promise not to overreact to any of it, and I mean _any_. Got it?"

He nodded again.

"Alright, well first off, Trunks is an ass because he tried to force himself on me after I got done training one day. He jumped me in the Gravity Room. If Vegeta hadn't saved me, I don't know how far he would have gone with it."

"What! Trunks did that!" Goten interrupted.

"You said you weren't going to overreact, Uncle. Relax, Vegeta taught him a lesson, and I won't let him catch me a situation like that ever again."

"Well, that's what he must have meant when he told me he tried to get with you but messed it up," Goten mused.

"I'm sure it is."

"Okay, now that that's settled, tell me the rest. Why do you care so much about what Vegeta thinks about you?" Goten asked.

"This is going to sound really weird, but I—I think I love him."

"What? You _love _Vegeta!" Goten exclaimed.

"Be quiet, Uncle!" Pan hissed.

"But why Vegeta?" he asked.

"I'm not sure. It just kind of happened over time I suppose."

"I don't know what to say, Pan-chan. Are you sure it's _love_?"

"I am."

"Well, I think it's really strange, but if it makes you happy, I suppose it can't hurt, right? I mean, we all know he and Bulma haven't really been together in a while."

"So you don't think it's wrong of me to want to be with him?"

Goten laughed, "Pan-chan, now that I think about it, I don't think any other guy could keep up with you."

"Don't tell anyone just yet, okay? I don't even know if Vegeta-sama thinks the same of me."

"Have you talked to him about it?"

"Not exactly, but we did kind of kiss before we came back to the ship."

"Pan-chan! You sly girl you!"

"Uncle Goten!"

Goten laughed and made his way to her door, stopping when he reached it.

"I won't tell anyone, I promise. But how about we go get some food, I'm starving!"

Pan fell over in shock.

"What?" Goten asked.

"You're crazy, Uncle," was all she said before standing to join him for a meal.

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They _finally_ got a little kissing scene in there. I don't know about you guys, but I think Super Saiya-jin 4 Vegeta is the business. Yummy. Anyway, I hope I didn't discourage those of you who had been keeping up with this. I know I'm slow with the updating thing, but I do plan to finish it, so never fear. To touch on a few points, in Dragonball GT, Vegeta goes from Super Saiya-jin 2 to 4. There was no 3, and I don't feel like putting it in there. Also, for those who didn't watch GT, when Trunks mentions the Black Star Dragonballs, he's talking about the special Dragonballs they used in GT. They have to go to space to find them, and in one episode, Pan goes off to prove that she's capable of helping out and whatnot but gets herself into trouble. As for my reviewers:

Thank you to everyone who has added this story as a favorite or asked to be alerted when I update (as slow as I may be).

Piccolo is green: I'm glad you still like it, and thanks for the congrats on my aunt-ship.

Bluebanany: Here's that update you asked for.

RavenDiesel1: I aim to please :)

james: I'm so happy that you can call it your favorite!


	7. Dirty Little Secret

Author's Note: Here's the next chapter, finally. Not only am I slow writer, I'm also a procrastinator.

Disclaimer: I don't own it.

" " ~ talking

' ' ~ thinking

Chapter 7: Dirty Little Secret 

Though she lay in her bed, dressed and ready for sleep, Pan could not meet the sweet embrace of slumber. Her mind ran rampant, so she got out of bed for a walk around the ship. However, when she made it downstairs, she realized she wasn't the only one awake.

The ship's clock indicated that it was well into the night in terms of Chikyuu hours. Everyone slept soundly in their beds, save an angry Vegeta and hidden Pan. He sat in the cockpit in his favored swivel chair, thrumming his fingers against the arm rests. A display screen popped up in front of him. Bulma's face appeared on it. Her hair was tied back sloppily, and she wore no makeup.

"What is it, Vegeta?" she asked groggily, rubbing the crust from her eyes.

"Woman, your ship almost killed the boys today," he complained.

"What are you talking about?" she yawned.

"The Gravity Room is a death trap. What did you set the maximum gravity to?"

"Leave it to you to try to workout at the max gravity. Don't you have anything better to do?"

"I didn't set it that high, the controls fried when we were attacked and set the gravity to maximum."

"You were attacked?"

"Yes and your sad excuse for a ship almost gave out on us."

"There is nothing wrong with my ship, Vegeta!"

"That's why it almost killed your son."

"Oh Kami, is he alright?"

"This message wouldn't have been nearly as pleasant if he wasn't."

Vegeta's keen hearing could pick up movement in the background.

"B, come back to bed, will ya?" Yamcha spoke from the shadows. Bulma blushed profusely before turning to the scar faced man. She whispered to him, but Vegeta could still hear them.

"Yamcha, I'm talking to Vegeta," she started.

"Vegeta! Don't let him know it's me!" he hissed.

"Don't worry yourself over it, scar face. I don't particularly care what the two of you do," Vegeta said. He could see Yamcha jump in the dark.

"Vegeta!" he shouted weakly.

"Save it. If I cared, you would have been dead long ago."

Yamcha blushed before slinking back into the shadows.

"That's another thing, woman. I'll not have you further disgracing my name. If you want to be with him, fine, but don't go around telling people I have anything to do with you."

Bulma blinked in confusion a couple times, her jaw slack. She snapped her mouth closed and opened it again a couple times, unable to bring herself to speak. She nodded.

"We're close to Iroka, and I'm sure Trunks will want to talk to you before we go planet side," he said.

"Thank you, Vegeta," Bulma said weakly.

"Hn." With that, Vegeta cut the communication link and leaned back in his chair.

"You can come out now," he said. He could hear Pan's small gasp and a few curses before she approached him.

"I don't see how you can do that. I had my ki suppressed as low as it could go," she pouted.

"I know you're energy very well. Finding it isn't much of a challenge anymore. Why aren't you in bed?"

"I can't sleep," she said as she took the seat next to him.

"What's troubling you?"

"I'm just worried about what's going to happen when we land on Iroka. I mean what if we find Bra but can't save her. Or what if I mess something up and get myself killed. Or even worse, what if I get you killed?" she asked, her mind running around frantically in her head. Vegeta laughed.

"None of those weaklings could kill me, and I won't let them harm you or Bra. I don't see why you worry over such silly things."

"It's not silly. You won't always be there to save us when we need it. We all need to learn to defend ourselves, and I don't think we're ready to do that without you just yet."

"I'll be around for a long time, Pan. As a full blooded Saiya-jin, my lifespan is much longer than any Chikyuu-jin's."

"I know that. But that's not what I meant. What if we have to separate while we're on Iroka, and I screw up and get someone killed? What happens when I'm not strong enough to protect Bra, or Trunks, or my Uncle?"

"We'll be fine. Where is that Son confidence Kakarott passed down to you?"

"I suppose you're right, but I just don't want to fail anyone. I am kind of anxious to fight, though."

She shifted nervously in her seat. She hadn't been able to sit still in her bed, and she wasn't fairing much better downstairs. This was the most nervous she'd been in her entire life. But why was she getting so upset? She'd fought enemies who threatened her life and the lives of those around her before. So why couldn't she stop thinking about the upcoming battle? And then it hit her like a ton of bricks. After all her recent setbacks and failures, she really needed to succeed if she wanted to impress Vegeta. Impress Vegeta? Of course that's what this was about. Pan refused to let him or Bra down, though for two very different reasons. She was so caught up in her thoughts that she failed to notice Vegeta rise from his seat until he was standing right in front of her.

"Come with me," he ordered. Pan didn't waste a second. She jumped up and followed closely behind him. He went up to the second floor, stopping at his bedroom door. When the door slid open, Pan felt a wave of nervousness wash over her.

"Oh, good night Vegeta-sama, I guess I'll see you tomorrow," she said quickly. Pan made for her room but was quickly grabbed and pulled back by Vegeta. He drew her close to him, and a few seconds passed before he spoke again.

"I said follow me, silly girl," he laughed.

"Yeah, and I followed you upstairs. I figured we were going to bed," she said.

"We are."

Pan tried to force down the nervous lump in her throat. Her tail mirrored the nervousness she felt, and she knew Vegeta would notice soon.

"What's bothering you now?" he asked.

"Nothing, I'm fine," she lied.

He chuckled, "I'm not going to force myself on you if that's what you're thinking. We're going to sleep."

Pan wished she hadn't been so easy to read, but she couldn't help it. She hadn't really devoted any of her teenage life to boys and intimate dating; she was too busy training and crushing on Vegeta. The Ouji released her and went to his bed. He crawled under the sheets before looking at her.

"Well do you plan to stand there all night, or are you going to come to bed?" he asked. Pan blushed but realized this wasn't the first time she had slept in the same bed as him. She allowed a small smile to creep across her face before she crawled next to Vegeta. He pulled her close and left his arm draped around her middle. 'This will take some getting used to,' she thought. She forced all thoughts from her mind and snuggled close to her sensei. Soon she was sleeping soundly. Vegeta chuckled lightly from behind her, surprised that it had been so easy for her to nod off, despite her previous complaints about having trouble sleeping. Her tail slowly wound its way around the arm he rested over her. He pulled her even closer to him before shutting his eyes and eventually falling asleep as well.

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Bra sighed in her crimson bed. She couldn't sleep, no matter how exhausted her body became. Her mind was on the defensive, expecting someone to walk through her door at any moment to kill her while she slept. So she didn't sleep. Instead, she simply stared at the ceiling, tracing the intricate patterns carved there with her eyes. Some of the patterns looked like words, but she didn't recognize the language. Bra sighed again before rolling over onto her stomach, tired of staring at something she didn't comprehend in the slightest. Thoughts of her friends and family flashed through her mind. How she wished they would find her. But she had no idea where she was and knew it was all but impossible for anyone to find her. A third sighed escaped her lips. The Hime grew frustrated at her helplessness. Sure, she had trained some before she was kidnapped, but she was nowhere near capable of fighting her way out. Even Pan, whom she secretly idolized for her strength, couldn't defeat Akki's two lackeys, and if she couldn't beat the trash, there was no way she could beat the top dog. Bra hated to admit defeat, a strong trait she received from her stubborn father, but she knew she was outclassed. She rolled back onto her back to stare at the ceiling once more. Suddenly the door swung open and Kain and Ziust entered the room. Bra sat up and glared at the duo.

"That look doesn't suit you, Hime. You should be happy to see us," Kain mocked.

"Why would I ever be happy to see your ugly faces?" Bra shot back.

"Such an attitude. Well, maybe this news will cheer you up. Master Akki requests your presence," Kain replied. Bra frowned deeply.

"Come now, he is a kind Master," Kain said as he approached Bra. Ziust followed closely behind. They grabbed her, but Bra was too weak to struggle. Her lack of sleep didn't help the situation. They carried her through the halls until they reached the room she first arrived in. They dropped her on the floor in the middle of the room. To her left, a set of the crimson curtains was pulled back, revealing a tall window, which sat wide open. It was clearly nighttime. Akki stood on a balcony outside the opened window with his back turned to her. Bra looked around the room and saw that Kain and Ziust had disappeared. She pulled herself to her knees. Akki turned to the young Saiya-jin and smiled pleasantly.

"It's nice to see you, Bra," he said in his eerie, melodic tone. The aqua haired Hime sat in silence.

"Don't be so anti-social, my dear," he cooed.

"What do you want from me?" Bra demanded boldly.

"I suppose it's only fair to let you in on my plan, especially since you are the centerpiece of it all," he responded as he walked toward his captive. Bra didn't have enough strength to back away from him, so she sat in place with the sternest look she could manage on her face.

"Now, I'm sure you are aware of the one thing many powerful individuals seek."

"More power," she answered crossly.

"Close but not quite. Immortality is what I seek. I wouldn't need more power if I had never ending life. However, attaining such a thing is no simple task."

"What does this have to do with me?"

"It has everything to do with you. Allow me to give you a history lesson, one I'm certain will peak your interest. I'm sure your family has mentioned a planet by the name of Namek at some time or another. If not, I'm certain you've seen Piccolo. He is from Namek. On that planet, I met your mother and encountered the Saiya-jins for the first time. I was there searching for the Dragonballs, in order to gain immortality. However, it seemed as though I was not the only one with such a goal. Frieza, the being who killed your father once, also quested for the balls. In order to keep my identity a secret from the Saiya-jins, I did not engage either party and instead watched from the sidelines. Unfortunately, the planet was destroyed, along with any hope of finding the Dragonballs. Since the Dragonballs were no longer an option for me, I had to find another means of attaining my goal. On my planet, here on Iroka, there is an ancient ritual that would give me eternal life. It is frowned upon by my people, but they are no longer able to judge me or stop me for that matter. This is where you will want to pay the closest attention, for this is where you come in, dear Hime. The ritual requires the sacrifice of an individual of noble blood, along with many other specific tasks that I will not bore you with."

Bra jumped in, "That doesn't make any sense. There are three of us with royal blood, and if you knew all about us, why didn't you just use the Dragonballs on Chikyuu or find New Namek and use those Dragonballs?"

"Very astute questions, Bra. I knew I'd like you when I first laid eyes on you. To answer you first query, the sacrifice must not only be of noble blood but a virgin as well. And seeing how your father is clearly no virgin since he was a space pirate of sorts for a time and you and your brother are here, and your brother trolls for Chikyuu women often, you are the only other option. I'm sorry my dear, but fate has not favored you this time. As for the Dragonballs of Chikyuu and New Namek, I could not hope to use the Dragonballs on your planet while the warrior Goku resided there. Not only did you and your associates frequent the Dragonballs, you also kept a watchful eye over them, especially that guardian of your planet, Dende I believe is his name. New Namek would be far too difficult to scour the universe for, and your mother seemed more than prepared to assist m--"

"You liar!" Bra cried.

"Allow me to finish," he chuckled lightly, "While I was on Namek, I encountered your mother. You look just like her, you know. I approached her before she evacuated the planet and told her of my troubles. At first, she wished to have nothing to do with me, but with a little persuasion, she agreed."

"Agreed to what?" Bra asked weakly.

"She agreed to bed your father and produce a noble blooded child for me."

"That isn't true. My mom loves my dad!"

"Dear girl, don't kid yourself. Your mother loves the Chikyuu-jin, Yamcha. He was my leverage in such a deal, after all. Out of fear for his safety and the safety of her friends and family, Bulma agreed. It was easy, especially since she believed Vegeta to be worthless because he had attacked Chikyuu before. I'll give your mother credit for being such a wonderful actress. I wished to wait until you or your brother matured, for then you would be in ideal condition for my ritual, so I patiently waited and watched. I watched you and your brother grow. I watched your mother have her secret meetings with Yamcha. I watched Chikyuu's hero, Goku, leave with the Dragonballs and Eternal Dragon forever, I watched your father train that irritating friend of yours, Pan Son. I watched everything, until I finally decided you were ready. I couldn't wait for Goku's youngest son to court you and render you useless to me."

"This doesn't make any sense. There are plenty of other royal families out there. Why did you choose us? Why did you toy with my mom like that? How could you trick her into acting to cruelly to my dad?" Bra was slowly raising her ki without realizing it. Akki quirked his brow and smirked in enjoyment.

"More wonderful questions. I understand that the universe is full of royalty, but I needed an individual of a strong enough bloodline and the warrior race you originate from was the perfect candidate. You are perfect in every way for the task at hand. Your brother, on the other hand, spoiled himself far too soon for my purposes. And as I told you before, your mother was not tricked. She was more than glad to help me."

"This isn't happening. You're lying, you have to be! My dad would know if my mom was up to something. He would know if my mom didn't care about him!"

"He knows you're mother feels nothing for him, just as he feels nothing for her. They were using each other as a means of achieving separate goals. Your father wished to continue the royal Saiya-jin bloodline, and your mother wished to save her friends and loved ones. Vegeta may not have known of her wicked plan, but he did know she was in love with Yamcha."

Tears filled Bra's eyes to the brim before spilling over in a torrent of grief. Akki had completely ruined her view of her wonderful family. Akki snapped his fingers, and his henchmen returned.

"Carry her back to her quarters, she's had a rough day and needs to rest," he ordered before walking back out onto the balcony. Kain and Ziust complied in silence. They deposited Bra into her room, where she wept on her bed until her body finally shut down and forced her to sleep.

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Pan woke up first. She stretched her body a little before trying to stand. Vegeta's arm was still around her, and it didn't look he was going to let go any time soon. She rolled around in his grasp, her tail uncoiling from his arm in the process. In sleep, the Ouji's face had relaxed substantially, forming a neutral expression as opposed to the hardened stare Pan was used to. She smiled briefly. Vegeta's eyes snapped opened and Pan's widened out of surprise briefly. He smirked at her before stretching out.

"Time to get up," he said as he sat up. After giving Pan a ghost of a kiss on the forehead, he rose from his bed and walked to his closet. He seemed to go about his morning routine without taking any notice of Pan. Vegeta sifted around in his closet, disgusted at most of the outfits he found. He silently cursed Bulma as he grabbed a pair of snug black training pants and a red sleeveless shirt with the word 'Badman' printed across the front in all capital white letters. Pan snickered when he turned around.

"And what is so funny?" he growled.

"That shirt, you're such a bad man Vegeta-sama!" Pan laughed. Vegeta frowned as Pan continued to laugh, her eyes closed and hands holding her sides. Suddenly he was at her side, whispering in her ear, "Is it really that funny?"

Pan's laughter cut off immediately, and she opened her eyes. "Don't you like my shirt?" he breathed lightly in her ear. She felt goose bumps rise on her skin and momentarily forgot all about Vegeta's shirt. He grabbed her chin and turned her face to his, wearing a smirk on his face all the while. Her cheeks began burning, and it was his turn to laugh. The Ouji released her chin but pushed her onto her back on the bed. He crawled over her carefully and leaned in close. Pan swallowed hard. 'He must love torturing me,' she thought. His smirk seemed to grow at her thought. When his face was merely inches from hers he spoke again.

"Still think it's funny?" he asked. The young Saiya-jin simply shook her head 'no' in response.

"I didn't think so," he said as he leaned up and began getting off the bed to continue his morning routine. Pan frowned and grabbed his arm before he could escape. She pulled him back next to her on the bed and gave him a stern stare. He only quirked his brow in response, suddenly interested in his pupil again.

"You can be very mean, you know that Vegeta-sama," she stated. Vegeta only shrugged with feigned disinterest. She rolled him over and crawled over him in the same fashion as Vegeta in moments previous.

"You should be nice to me, or I might beat you up," she smirked. Vegeta rolled his eyes at the raven haired Saiya-jin. At this, Pan broke out into laughter. She sat up, but was still atop her sensei.

"How close are we to that planet?" she asked, seriousness taking over her facial expression.

"We'll be there within the next twenty-four hours," he answered, sad to see Pan's playfulness go.

"Good. I'm ready for a rematch with those cowardly lackeys!" she pronounced smugly. The Ouji couldn't help but smirk at his confident companion.

"Come here, girl," he commanded. Pan looked down at him in confusion, so he pulled her down to him. He held her close before kissing her forehead lightly again, rolling her off him, and getting out of bed to go to the bathroom. Pan sat up and got out of bed herself, stretching when she stood.

"I'm going to go change," she declared as she walked to the door. The bathroom door swung open and Vegeta approached her. Pan smiled and said, "I'll meet you downstairs and make you something tasty for breakfast."

The Ouji nodded and pulled her in for a brief kiss before saying "Don't take too long."

Pan blushed but nodded before slipping out of his room and into her own. When she was behind the safety of her closed door, she sat on her bed for a moment to catch her breath. 'That went well,' she thought. She brought her hand to her lips briefly and smiled. The young Saiya-jin shook herself out of her stupor and went to her dresser to find something to wear for the day. She chose a dark grey pair of training pants and a black training shirt. She tied her orange bandana atop her head and left her room. After a quick survey of the ship, she noted that both Trunks and Goten were still asleep. 'Good,' she thought. In a matter of seconds, Pan was downstairs in the kitchen preparing breakfast. She and Vegeta ate in comfortable silence until the sounds of Trunks and Goten stomping about on the upper deck could be heard. Pan sighed and shook her head. Goten entered the kitchen area first.

"Hey Pan-chan! Hey Vegeta!" he greeted cheerfully.

"Hi Uncle," Pan smiled. Trunks entered behind him soon after but gave no such greetings. Instead, he made a quick meal, sat at the table, and ate in silence. Goten made his own breakfast as well, but didn't eat it so silently.

"So, how much longer until we reach Iroka?" he asked between bites.

"Vegeta-sama says it'll be within the next twenty-four hours," Pan answered.

"We're making great time," Goten said.

"Since we're going to be arriving soon, I think I'm going to pass on the Gravity Room today," Pan announced, "I think I'll spend some time meditating instead."

With that, she cleaned the table of her and Vegeta's plates and went back up to her room.

"Wanna train when we're done, Trunks?" Goten asked merrily.

"Sure," was all the lavender haired Saiya-jin said in response. Goten smiled broadly before eating the rest of his meal at a record pace. Vegeta made himself comfortable in the cockpit of the ship and checked the status of the vessel and their journey. A couple hours into their training session, Trunks spoke to Goten.

"So did you talk to Pan for me?" he asked.

"Well, sort of," Goten laughed nervously.

"What do you mean sort of?" Trunks demanded.

"Well you see, I talked to Pan, and it turns out that she isn't actually interested in you like that." He laughed nervously again.

"Then who does she like?"

"I promised not to tell." He knew things would get out of hand if Trunks found out Pan was actually crushing on Vegeta.

"You can't do that to me, Goten!"

"Come on, I promised her. And she's my niece, she's family. I have to put her first, you know that."

"Yeah, yeah."

The two continued training until Vegeta opened the door and the gravity reduced back to normal.

"What's up, Vegeta?" Goten asked.

"We'll be landing on Iroka within the next couple of hours. I suggest you use this time to regain your strength, and Trunks, your mother will be expecting a call from you.

"Yes, father," Trunks answered as he left the room. Goten smiled knowingly at Vegeta before leaving as well. Half an hour later, Trunks reappeared and made his way to the cockpit to contact Bulma. A display screen popped up with Bulma's face on it shortly after he attempted to contact her.

"Hello, Trunks," she greeted.

"Hello, mother. We're almost to Iroka, and we're more than ready to bring Bra back," he said.

"I know you are, dear. I'm sure you'll all do well."

"Did father tell you we were attacked the other day?"

"Yes, and I'm so glad you're alright. Do you know who attacked you?"

"No, no one does. Pan destroyed the enemy ship, and we didn't have enough time to investigate. We had to get back on track."

"I see, well it doesn't matter anyway," she laughed carelessly.

"Yeah, what's important is getting Bra back."

"I hate to run on you, dear, but I still have a company to run. I'm certain that you'll make it back with Bra. You have my best wishes."

"We'll be back before you know it."

The mother and son exchanged brief smiles before cutting the communication link. Trunks relaxed in his chair, waiting patiently for their arrival on Iroka. Soon, the others gathered in the cockpit, also more than prepared to land and rescue their comrade. The ship was silent as the four warriors observed the planet they were approaching. Iroka was a blood red planet with barely any bodies of water. Not a single cloud was in sight. Trunks brought up the information Bulma had regarding the planet. The other three read along with him. 'Gravity: 1.3 times that of Chikyuu's. Atmosphere: Contains breathable air. Terrain: Flat, sandy surface with sporadic chains of mountains generally 4,000 meters tall or greater.' Trunks cut the reading off at that. He only cared to know if the air was breathable and what the gravity was like, and that seemed to be all the others cared about as well.

"Do you think they'll send ships out to shoot us down?" Goten asked.

"They haven't yet. Maybe Akki wants to take us on himself," Pan replied.

"We're entering the atmosphere in five minutes. I don't think they're going to send anything after us," Trunks announced. Pan and Goten stood behind Vegeta and Trunks respectively, anxiously awaiting their arrival on the planet. In a matter of minutes, which seemed to pass like hours, the ship finally landed on the surface of Iroka. The four warriors stepped out of the ship, all dressed in training attire and ready to do battle with anyone who approached them. When the ship's door opened, Pan's jaw went slack. When she looked around, she saw massive buildings made of stone, resembling castles but with jagged edges everywhere. The buildings were everywhere, but it was eerily quiet. She turned to the others and asked, "Where is everyone?"

After an incredibly long wait, I've finally managed to produce another chapter. I'm sorry that it happened to take forever, but school was really killing me this semester. I almost bit off more than I could chew. Almost. Also, sorry to all those Bulma fans out there for making her into a kind of villain.

Thanks to everyone who has reviewed and stuck with this story. I will finish it, I promise.


	8. Ground Zero

Author's Note: I'm glad to see that people still read this, and I'll be sure to respond to you guys at the end of the chapter. Thanks again for hanging in there!

Disclaimer: I don't own it.

" " ~talking

' ' ~ thinking

Chapter 8: Ground Zero

Pan stepped out of the ship first and ran up to the closest building. Like the rock she sat upon on the previous planet, the buildings all shined brilliantly in the day's light but were rough to the touch. She briefly wondered how the inhabitants of the planet managed to build such massive structures atop the sea of sand. Goten ran up to her, also staring in awe at the buildings.

"Wow, these things are huge!" he proclaimed. Trunks and Vegeta walked up to the two.

"This place is weird," Trunks began, "I can't sense anyone at all."

"Neither can I," Goten agreed.

"They blocked ki signatures before, what's to say they aren't doing it now?" Vegeta asked.

"He's right, we're just going to have to look around," Pan decided. The others nodded in agreement. They took flight and scoured the city, making sure to keep within eyesight of one another. All the buildings looked fairly similar, and no one had any idea what to look for exactly. Eventually, they landed to speak again.

"This isn't working at all. I can't sense anyone, I can't hear any people around, and I can't see anybody. How in the world are we supposed to find Bra, let alone anyone else on this planet?" Pan fumed.

"We're going to have to search the buildings," Trunks declared.

"How are we supposed to search all the buildings on this entire planet?" Pan asked.

"There aren't that many cities on Iroka, and if we split up and work quickly, we should be able to search them all."

"We can't all split up. What if someone runs into trouble?"

"She's right. We should stick together. We don't want anyone running into these guys alone," Goten nodded as he agreed.

"What do you have in mind then?" Trunks asked his best friend.

"Well," Goten scratched his head, "I don't really know."

Pan and Vegeta rolled their eyes simultaneously.

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Akki sat in the main room of his hideout, the window no longer open and the curtains drawn closed. He wore an elegant black under suit with crimson robes flowing over top of it. Kain approached his Master while attempting to keep the nervousness he felt from his face. He bowed briefly before relaying his message.

"Master, the other Saiya-jins are here. There are four of them in all. Vegeta is among them, and they've already started searching for Bra." He spoke as clearly as he could manage, though he feared what his Master might do.

"Wonderful," Akki clasped his hands together and smiled widely, "this will make things much more entertaining. I look forward to confronting Vegeta and making him watch as I sacrifice his lovely daughter to attain what he once sought after. It will certainly make for a marvelous show, don't you agree, Kain?"

"Yes, Master," Kain bowed again before turning to leave.

"Why are you always in such a hurry to leave, big brother?" Akki inquired.

"I just assumed you'd want time to prepare for Vegeta's arrival, Master," Kain responded, attempting to stay respectful to his younger brother.

"You are always so thoughtful. Tell me, did it anger you when father chose me to become the next Rei?" Akki asked, his smile only widening.

"No brother, father made a wise choice. You're much stronger than I am, and we need someone with such great strength to be our Rei," Kain responded, praying that his brother wouldn't think he was lying. His loyalty was with his younger brother, even though his rightful place as leader was taken from him. In his mind, he believed it necessary to dedicate his life to protecting and serving his brother and Rei, no matter what.

"I'm glad to hear it, brother. You are the only one I can trust on this planet. Ziust has been most helpful, but he is not family. You understand, don't you?"

"Yes brother."

"I knew you would, now, have Ziust bring me the girl so I can tell her the wonderful news!" Akki beamed at his older brother.

"Right away, Master."

Kain strode quickly from the room to give Ziust his instructions. He found the lizard man in the dining area. Ziust had his feet propped up on the dining room table and was leaning back in his chair, picking the meat off a large bone. He stared lazily at Kain as he walked into the dining room.

"Master Akki wants you to bring him the girl," he announced.

"Why can't you do it?" Ziust asked. He took his feet off the table and put the chair down on all four legs.

"I have to make preparations for the ceremony. I have too much work to do, and Master Akki told me to tell you to do it."

"Doesn't that act ever get tiresome? Calling your own brother Master, that is. You're older, shouldn't you be Rei, or whatever you people call it?"

"Ziust, I know you're just trying to make trouble because you're bored here. But didn't you hear the news? Vegeta is here, and he brought your meal that got away with him. You won't be bored anymore."

"Oh really? Well when you put it that way, I'd be more than happy to bring the little Hime to Akki. However, that other girl is mine, so you'd better not touch her, got it?"

"Of course, who am I to stand in the way of a lizard and his meal?"

Ziust grunted as he stood up and left the bone on the table but said nothing more to Kain as he left the room. 'Wonderful, that girl has come back to me. I've never let something so tasty escape before, and she won't get the chance again,' he thought. He ran his tongue along his teeth in anticipation. When he reached Bra's room, he swung the door open and found her asleep on her bed.

"Wake up, girl. Master Akki needs to have a word with you again," he sneered. Bra shifted and opened her eyes. She instantly narrowed them when she saw who was in her room. Ziust chuckled maliciously at her.

"Bra is it? Yes, I believe that's what he called you. Listen and listen good, your little friend is here, probably in an attempt to save you, but she won't make it very far. Do you know why? I'm sure you do. She's going to make an exquisite meal. I can taste her now, her blood was so magnificent!"

Bra paled significantly at the thought of the monster before her eating her best friend. Ziust laughed again before grabbing Bra and taking her to see Akki once more. Bra simply stared at the floor, deep in thought. 'Pan is here? She must have brought Daddy and the others to rescue me! But how did they find me? How did they know to come here? Mom must have built them a spaceship and led them here, but does that mean she already knew where this planet was? Does that mean Akki is telling the truth? They couldn't have come here as a lucky guess. They had to have known. Mom had to have known. Mom? Why would you do this to me? I thought--' she was jolted from her thoughts when Ziust dumped her unceremoniously onto the floor at Akki's feet. She shot Ziust a final glare as he left the room, chuckling lightly. Akki had his back turned to her with his hands clasped behind his back.

"Bra, so nice to see you again," he said, though he never turned around to look at her. She refused to respond to him.

"I have wonderful news for you, dear Saiya-jin," he turned around and smiled at her, "it seems your friends and family have come to retrieve you. Your father, your brother, Pan, and her uncle are all here, just for you. If I were you, I would feel quite honored to have such a rescue party searching for me. Unfortunately, they are all going to have to die."

"My daddy will kill you, you monster!" Bra growled, rising to her feet. Akki brought his hands to his side before backhanding the young Hime.

"I will not tolerate such disrespect. I have clothed you, fed you, and provided excellent sleeping accommodations for you. I have shown you nothing but kindness, and yet you repay me with insults," Akki snapped.

"You brought me here to kill me! That's not very hospitable if you ask me. Just because you sugar coat it with polite talk and nice things doesn't mean you're doing something that isn't completely insane and immoral!" Bra argued. Akki laughed heartily at her.

"You are so very entertaining. I suppose I can't fool you with my materialistic generosity, can I? However, I only wished to make your stay here comfortable."

"Comfortable?" Bra rubbed the side of her face Akki struck, "You're going to kill me, remember? You could make me comfortable by letting me go."

"I'm sorry, but I can't do that. I need you, Bra. Your life will be sacrificed for a purpose much greater than anything you could understand. I would love to let you go, but I just can't. You are much too valuable."

"It doesn't matter anyway," she began, rising to her feet, "my daddy is going to find you and kill you!"

"Who are you trying to fool? Your father will do no such thing. However, I do have a wonderful surprise in store for him. Would you like to know what it is?"

"It won't be anything he can't handle."

"We'll see about that. I plan to capture him and make him watch as I sacrifice you in a most unpleasant manner to attain my immortality. I might make your other friends watch as well, though I've noticed that Ziust has his eyes on that silly friend of yours. He tells me her blood is to die for."

"Don't you dare lay a hand on any of them!" Bra yelled. Her temper got the better of her, and she flew at Akki with reckless abandon. He effortlessly dodged her every move before striking her with enough force to render her unconscious.

"Why couldn't you just comply with my wishes, foolish Saiya-jin?" he asked her motionless body, "I know you don't understand, but it is for the best. I must become immortal. It's the only way I can fix the damage done to the universe by the barbaric races roaming the galaxies. I have been so very patient since time will cease to exist for me when I become ever living. But my time has come, and my dream will be realized very soon."

He called for Ziust, who slithered in quickly, eager to do his Master's bidding. Clearly he wished that Akki would send him out to find Pan, but he wasn't so lucky.

"Take her back to her quarters. She will receive no more meals, for the ceremony is close at hand and I don't want her losing her lunch during the ritual," he ordered nonchalantly. Ziust complied without question. He discarded Bra in her room before retreating back to the kitchen to satiate his newfound hunger, though he knew that the only thing that would fill him up was Pan.

When Bra next awoke, she was in her room again. 'I'm really getting tired of this,' she thought. She rubbed the back of her head where Akki struck her. 'I need to find a way to let the others know where I am,' she told herself as she looked around her room. Her eyes landed on the crimson curtains to her left. 'Perfect,' she exclaimed in her head as she jumped up and pulled the curtains back. Her eyes widened in disbelief when she saw no windows, but only another wall. 'What's the point of having curtains?' she asked herself. She continued to look around her room, but found no other connection to the outside world. Bra looked at the heavy wooden door on the other side of the room. She tried turning the knob but received a surprise shock when she did. After shaking the tingling sensation from her hand, she sat back on her bed, ready to accept defeat. However, she suddenly remembered she hadn't checked the bathroom. With newfound determination, the Hime jumped off her bed and walked quickly to her bathroom. Across from the toilet was a small window, which Bra assumed was there for the sake of ventilation. It was already cracked open. She could barely fit her arm through the window, but it was enough for her. Steadily, she gathered her ki and channeled it to her hand which she held out the window. She released her energy in a steady flow with her fingertips pointed to the sky. Bra knew her friends or family members that caught sight of her energy would instantly know it was her hailing them. Her energy flew in a steady beam to the sky above. There wasn't much time to give her signal since those within the castle could sense one another's energy. As soon as she could hear footsteps, Bra let her energy dissipate and hurried out of the bathroom. Ziust swung the door open angrily and locked eyes with the aqua haired Saiya-jin.

"Just what do you think you're doing in here!" he growled.

"Nothing," she answered innocently.

"Don't you lie to me, monkey," he snapped as he scanned the room with his eyes. He found nothing wrong with the room. Ziust walked to her bathroom and found nothing out of place. With an angry sigh he stomped back to the door.

"I don't know what you were trying to do, but I'll be watching you," he sneered. Bra smiled harmlessly. Ziust turned on his heel and left, his tail thrashing angrily behind him. When the door slammed behind him, Bra returned to her bathroom and looked out the tiny window. She prayed to the gods that someone would find her soon.

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Bra's search party had barely begun to argue about the best way to search the planet when a bright magenta beam tore through the sky steadily for almost a full minute before cutting off. Pan's eyes widened in surprise and excitement, and her tail wagged behind her in anticipation.

"That's Bra!" she shouted as she pointed in the direction the beam came from.

"Are you sure?" Trunks asked.

"Of course I'm sure! No one else's energy looks like that! It has to be her," Pan said quickly as she jumped in the air, ready to fly to Bra's rescue.

"We should definitely check it out, it's the only lead we have," Goten agreed. Vegeta nodded and flew up next to Pan.

"There's no more time to waste. Let's go," Vegeta ordered. The search party raced to the scene as quickly as they could together. When they got close, they weren't sure where exactly to look. They had seen Bra's signal from much farther away and didn't know where exactly to look once they got closer. Pan scanned the landscape and quickly became disheartened when she saw just how many buildings were in the area.

"What do we do from here?" she asked no one in particular. Goten eyed her nervously, aware that there was no quick way to find their friend.

"We might have to split up," Trunks offered for the second time.

Pan suddenly became nervous again, worried that all her biggest fears regarding the mission were going to come true. She swallowed hard, hoping no one would notice her small slip up. Instead of letting everyone know of her fears, she came forward.

"Okay, let's split up," she agreed, giving a brief side glance to Vegeta, hoping he would have a reasonable solution. He met her gaze with a calculating stare.

"So, how exactly are we going to do this?" Goten asked.

"Maybe we should pair up, so no one gets caught alone," Pan offered, looking briefly at Vegeta once more.

"This is how it's going to work. Trunks and Goten, you two will go to together, in case you get into trouble and find that you need to fuse into Gotenks," Vegeta mandated.

"Good idea," Goten agreed, turning to Trunks and Pan for their opinions. Pan nodded quickly, and Trunks, seeing that he was outnumbered, agreed as well.

"Alright, so if you guys find and rescue Bra, go back to the ship and wait. If you don't find her by tomorrow morning, go back to the ship. If neither group finds her by tomorrow, we'll already be regrouped at the ship so we can come up with another plan," Pan suggested.

"What if you guys don't come back by tomorrow morning?" Goten asked.

"If they've somehow managed to prevent me from making it back to the ship by tomorrow morning, you are to leave immediately," the Saiya-jin no Ouji ordered forcefully. Goten swallowed hard and nodded.

"Alright, let's spread out and search for Bra!" Trunks shouted excitedly. The others nodded and the two groups took off in opposite directions.

When they were far enough away from Goten and Trunks, Pan released a large sigh. Vegeta eyed her carefully but said nothing. She shifted around nervously in the air, trying to find a way to talk to Vegeta without sounding pathetic. That was the last thing she wanted to do. Pan was so focused on trying to find the proper wording that she failed to notice Vegeta stop until she was ahead of him by a decent amount. She stopped and turned to see him coming up next to her.

"Why'd we stop?" she asked.

"You tell me," was his response. The raven haired young lady refused to look him in the eyes.

"This will be much easier if you just tell me what's troubling you," Vegeta said. Pan knew it would be best to just tell him, so she sucked in a deep breath.

"I'm just worried about us splitting up like this. I don't like it," she whispered.

"I told you before," Vegeta began, grabbing her chin and forcing her eyes to meet his, "I won't let these fools harm you or the others. You have nothing to worry about, so just focus on saving Bra."

Pan felt silly suddenly, and it showed on her face.

"Sorry," was all she said. Vegeta rolled his eyes before leaning down and planting a soft kiss on her lips. He smirked when she blushed. When he released her, Pan straightened up and tried to focus on saving Bra so her blush would disappear.

"Alright, let's go," she said as she continued the search for Bra. Vegeta followed behind her, smirking lackadaisically.

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Bra stared outside the bathroom window intently, hoping someone saw her signal. In the distance, she saw two figures coming toward her building fast. Her excitement grew, until the two figures stopped. They interacted briefly, and shared what looked like a kiss before continuing toward Bra's prison. She felt herself becoming anxious again when she could clearly make out the faces of her father and Pan. Briefly, she wondered what they could have been doing when they stopped, because they certainly couldn't have kissed. It didn't look like they knew she was there, so Bra stuck one arm out the window and tried waving to them. When they didn't immediately respond, she tilted her head sideways and called out the window, "Guys, it's me! I'm over here! Pan! Daddy!"

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Vegeta caught sight of movement on the side of a building. At first, he didn't think much of it, but when his sensitive hearing picked up on Bra's voice, he sped toward the moving appendage. Pan followed close behind. When he reached the window Bra's arm was waving from, he felt a great weight lift from his shoulders. Pan went so far as to sigh aloud in relief. On the other side, Bra smiled widely.

"You guys actually found me! I'm so glad you're here!" Bra cried.

"It's nice to see you too, Bra, but how are we going to get you out of here?" Pan asked.

"Stand back, both of you," Vegeta commanded as he began gathering ki in his right hand. Bra ducked into her room and Pan hovered behind Vegeta as he sent a ki blast at the wall. When the smoke cleared, the wall was unscratched.

"These walls are tough, you're going to have to give it more juice, Vegeta-sama," Pan commented, "but you're going to have to hurry. I'm sure Akki and his men know we're trying to save Bra now."

Vegeta nodded in agreement before powering up to Super Saiya-jin and shooting a large ball of energy at the wall. The barrier cracked and finally gave to Vegeta's might after only a few seconds. Bra rushed out through the makeshift exit and jumped to her father. She hugged him tightly and put an arm around her protectively.

"We need to leave now. Those guys definitely know we're here now," Pan urged. She turned to fly back toward the ship but found a surprise behind her instead. Akki floated only feet away, a hardened stare on his face.

"I believe you have taken something that belongs to me," he articulated sharply.

"Bra isn't a possession, and she most certainly doesn't belong to you," Pan spat.

"You are very wrong, pest. Bra is simply the vessel of my immortality and I demand that you return her to me at once," Akki insisted.

"Never!" Pan objected as she lunged at the green eyed man. Vegeta watched as Akki dodged her effortlessly and delivered a skillful kick to her back, sending her reeling. Pan shook it off before attacking Akki again. No matter what she tried, Akki always seemed prepared as he dodged her with ease and proceeded to beat her senseless. Vegeta couldn't watch his companion take such a beating any longer. He released his daughter and, still in Super Saiya-jin form, attacked the silver haired man. He struck Akki on the face, hard. The man flipped through the air a couple times before he managed to right himself.

"That is cheating, Ouji. Clearly I was teaching Pan a lesson. Please wait until I am done educating her to fight me," Akki said politely, shooting Vegeta a pleasant smile. This only angered the Saiya-jin further.

"Your fight is with me now. If you don't like it, you'll have to do something about it," he threatened. Bra flew to Pan's side to see if she was alright.

"Did he hurt you?" she asked with concern heavily laced in her voice. Pan wiped off the blood that ran from the corner of her mouth before acknowledging Bra's question.

"I'm fine, but he's strong. I don't think I can beat him," she replied.

"I don't think you have to. It looks like Daddy is going to take it from here," Bra spoke of her father with much admiration. Vegeta looked up at the two young ladies.

"Leave. Now," he directed. Pan was about to object, but Akki did it for her.

"They are going nowhere," Akki growled, rushing the girls. Vegeta tackled him away before he could get to them.

"I told you before," the Ouji snarled, "your fight is with me!"

Vegeta and Akki continued grappling as Bra attempted to get Pan to leave with her.

"Let's go, Pan. Daddy can handle this, but you and I are way out of our league," she advised.

"I can't just leave him here, though," Pan denied.

"Pan, he told us to go. He wouldn't do that if he didn't know what he was doing. We should get out of here so we aren't in the way."

Pan sighed, "You're right."

She gave Vegeta one last concerned glance, which he met with a nod. Pan and Bra blasted off into the sky. Akki roared in anger when he saw them escaping.

"No! I will not allow them to leave!" he bellowed. He shoved Vegeta aside easily and made for the two Saiya-jin girls. Vegeta powered up to the second level of Super Saiya-jin before pursuing Akki. He grabbed the wicked man's leg and flung him to the ground below, where he crashed with a resounding thud. Then he fired a volley of ki blasts at the crater Akki's body formed and didn't let up until Pan and Bra were almost out of sight. Akki escaped from the energy blasts but made no effort to chase the others. Instead, he leveled his gaze on the hole Vegeta made earlier, where Kain and Ziust now stood.

"Ziust, chase them down. Do not let them escape you. Kain, do not falter in the preparations, and release the demônios to aid Ziust," Akki commanded. The two men obeyed without hesitation. When Ziust took off into the sky, it was Akki's turn to prevent Vegeta from pursuing. They were locked in hand to hand combat, which required all of Vegeta's focus to keep up in. However, he had faith in Pan and knew she could defeat the lizard any day.

Vegeta found it increasingly difficult to keep up with Akki, who seemed to be having no trouble battling the Saiya-jin no Ouji at all. Not surprisingly, Vegeta found this to be incredibly offensive. Akki dodged his attacks with minimal effort and even had the audacity to laugh at him mockingly. After avoiding a particularly fierce blow of Vegeta's, Akki grabbed his arms from behind, effectively restraining him.

"Tell me something, Vegeta," he began, whispering delicately in his captive's ear, "How close are you to your daughter?"

The Ouji growled ferociously but gave no other response.

"Do you care about her safety?" Akki continued.

"Shut up, worm!" Vegeta commanded.

"You are in no position to order me around, monkey. Clearly, I am the one in charge here. Now let me tell you about the surprise I have in store for you," Akki's voice grew louder and fiercer, "I know how much you care for you sweet daughter, so I have decided to grant you permission to watch as I use her wonderful life energy to fuel my own for an eternity."

"I'll kill you!" Vegeta cried as he made the jump to Super Saiya-jin 4. His powerful aura knocked Akki back and freed Vegeta from his grasp.

"I'd like to see you try," Akki challenged with a smirk. The two powerful men flew at each other and clashed with a deafening boom.

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Pan and Bra flew from the scene as quickly as they could. Pan looked to her friend and saw her wearing the most forlorn expression she'd ever seen. She smiled briefly before attempting to verbally comfort her friend.

"Don't worry, Bra. Your dad can beat that guy," she encouraged. Bra didn't respond.

"Come on, Bra, cheer up," she tried again. Bra's cheerful greeting from before seemed to be the only emotion she managed to convey before completely shutting down. Pan stopped flying and blocked Bra's path. The Hime cast her eyes to the ground far below.

"Okay, you're starting to freak me out. I figured you'd be talking up a storm right now, but you're acting weird. What's wrong?" she pestered. When Bra raised her head, she had such a shocking look of sadness upon her face that Pan almost didn't recognize her. Her Son heart kicked in and she was at Bra's side in a second.

"Bra, please tell me what's wrong. Let me help you," she urged. Tears began forming in her friend's eyes. Bra threw her arms around her friend and cried deeply. Pan patted her gently on the back to comfort her.

"Pan, she did this to me, she wanted this to happen!" Bra cried.

"What are you talking about?" Pan asked.

"She only wanted to have me so she could protect herself. She never cared!" Bra choked out through her river of tears.

"Calm down Bra, who are you talking about?"

"My mom! We're here because of her!"

"What are you talking about? Your mom was the one who prepared a ship for us so we could come rescue you."

"It's a lie, Pan! She didn't really want you to save me! She wanted me to die! She gave me to Akki!"

"Bra you need to calm down. You aren't making any sense. Why would Bulma want to get you killed? She was really upset when you were taken and cried a lot. I mean, she's your mother for Kami's sake!"

"You don't understand. It was all a trick. She promised Akki a long time ago that she'd sleep with my dad and make a virgin of noble blood for him, to use in some ritual that would give him immortality. My mom betrayed my dad! She betrayed all of us!" Bra yelled. Pan took this information in carefully. She knew that Bra wasn't one to lie, but she figured there was a little exaggeration going on. Her cynicism wouldn't let her believe that Bulma, a close family friend, would turn her back on her own family. However, she did think back to the moments just before they went to rescue Bra. Bulma said she knew Akki from Namek, before Trunks or Bra were even born. She also said he wanted the Dragonballs to wish for immortality. Pan was too confused and didn't know what to believe.

"Akki probably lied to you, Bra. Your mom loves you, you know that. I bet Akki just wants to turn you against her. Bulma is a good woman at heart."

"Pan, you have to believe me! It makes perfect sense. Why would she just meet him and never say anything, and then have him suddenly show up years later? She knew he was waiting on her to have children with my dad. She wantedhim to take me. She plannedon all of this!"

Pan didn't want to accept that explanation. It was odd that Bulma saw Akki on Namek, where he was questing for immortality, and didn't say a word to anyone about him. Someone that dead set on gaining eternal life would have been considered a threat, yet she never said a word about him until now. However, the fact that Bulma helped them find Bra proved that she really cared.

"Listen Bra, it may be true that your mom promised you to Akki, but deep down she loves you, otherwise she wouldn't have led us straight to you. She wants us to bring you home. I'm sure she had a good reason to make a deal with Akki, but we have to believe that she didn't do this because she's a bad person."

Bra's shoulders slumped and she hiccupped as she continued to cry on her friend's shoulder.

"Come on Bra, we'll figure this out, alright? We're going to get to the ship and wait for Vegeta-sama to defeat Akki and his men, then we're going to go back home, I promise," Pan vowed. Bra nodded and pulled herself away from Pan. She wiped her face dry, suddenly embarrassed to have cried so openly. Pan sensed her discomfort and gave her a spectacular Son smile. Bra couldn't believe how cheerful her friend could be, especially since she'd seen Pan and her dad train before.

"We're going to figure this out, I promise, but right now, let's focus on getting back to the ship. You can take a nice shower, and there are clothes in there for you and everything!" Pan said excitedly. Bra cracked a smile at her friend, grateful to have her as support.

"Thanks for coming to save me, Pan-chan," she said hoarsely.

"It's my pleasure!" Pan smiled, giving her a thumbs up to exemplify the point. The two shared a laugh, which was cut off by throaty cackling. Pan jerked her head to the source of the noise, and her heart skipped a beat when she realized who was laughing.

"Ziust!" she growled, putting herself between him and Bra.

"I'm glad to see that you remember me," he smirked. Pan's gaze narrowed.

"I hope you don't think you can beat me, especially since your friend isn't here to steal my power," she snapped arrogantly. Bra flew back a bit, worried that she'd get in her friend's way.

"Don't make me laugh. I don't need Kain's help to defeat you," he sneered.

"We'll see about that!" Pan roared as she powered up and leapt at the lizard man. He ran his tongue along his teeth in anticipation.

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Vegeta found it frustrating that Akki was managing to keep up with him, even though he was in his most powerful form. The two combatants sported multiple cuts and bruises already. Vegeta was in the middle of swinging a powerful punch at Akki's face when the building behind them began to tremble and lurch. Vegeta stopped to look, and Akki took advantage of the opening and slammed his foe into the ground. Vegeta recovered quickly, but caught sight of the source of the commotion that caused the building to rattle. A large portion of the wall near him was sliding up, creating an enormous opening. Vegeta couldn't see anything, for the hole was completely black.

"Curious, I see," Akki said as he landed gracefully a few yards from Vegeta. The Ouji's head snapped back to his opponent, a sneer painted across his face.

"Come now, don't be so angry. I think you will be interested in what I have to show you. Just watch carefully," Akki all but sang to Vegeta. Seeing that Akki had no plans to attack him, Vegeta watched the opening, in case more enemies would jump out and attack him. He heard a soft rumbling, and the ground beneath him began shaking.

"What the--" Vegeta began. The soft rumbling turned into a loud clomping. It almost sounded like marching. When something finally appeared in the light, Vegeta blanched. It was a mass of people, or what looked like people. However, upon closer inspection, it became clear that they weren't normal. Each "person" had long, pointed ears and silver hair like Akki. They looked like they could have been a part of Akki's race at some point. What really struck Vegeta was the fact that their skin was grayed and appeared to be decayed. Their eyes were completely white. All the clothing they wore looked like it would have been quite fashionable, were it not so torn and dirtied. Vegeta suddenly thought back to some of the movies he had been subjected to while on Chikyuu. He could only describe the beings before him as zombies. Akki raised his arms into the air and spoke to the creatures before him in a language Vegeta couldn't understand.

"Não perca tempo. Busque a força vital do sangue nobre virgem," he called, pointing in the direction in which Pan and Bra flew. The reaction was instant. Wave after wave of the beings flooded past Vegeta and took to the sky. The Saiya-jin no Ouji took a defensive stance, but not a single one of the creatures even brushed against him. Suddenly he became very worried about the safety of the others.

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And there's chapter eight. There's a lot of stuff that's been introduced here! Honestly, I'm just being ridiculous with the use of different languages, but I'm on a language craze right now, so it's just going to have to be dealt with. I like the idea of using different languages to differentiate between the races in the story, but I don't want to be tasked with coming up with an entirely new language. I realize that it can be pretty silly since not everyone knows Japanese and Portuguese and I'm not a native speaker of either language, but like I said, I'm on a language craze. To help clarify, Rei means king, Akki refers to his zombie creatures as "demons", and when he talks to them at the end of the chapter, he's saying "Do not waste time. Seek the life force of the noble blooded virgin." I'll let you in on a little secret though; I already have another story in mind, which I'll start upon the completion of Breaking the Barrier most likely, and I won't befuddle you all with my silly multilingual obsession. On a better note, here's to my reviewers:

chimney leaf: I'm dead set on finishing my story, and I'm bound to my word, so it'll definitely happen. I'm glad you aren't automatically turned off by the idea of Vegeta/Pan, because I know a lot of people are. Also, I even mentioned Piccolo as an example of a Namekian, but he doesn't play a role really. I just kind of left him out, so I guess it's safe to assume he's not around. I watched GT only because I love the Dragonball universe so much, but Z was by far my favorite. I agree that it was lame of them to lessen Gohan's character in GT. He's one of my favorite characters and was really awesome in the Cell Saga, yet them left him high and dry. However, keep in mind that he's charged with protecting Earth while the others are away.

Eragrand: Thanks for reading. I'm trying to manage my time wisely because I have to finish this story. I really don't like reading a story I enjoy only to find out that it's never going to be finished, so I know exactly how you feel on that one. I don't want to do that to the people that like my story, so it's going to get finished.

Bluebanany: Yeah, Bulma was just trying to protect the ones she loves! I don't dislike her character at all (I'm a big fan of Vegeta/Bulma stories), but I needed her to be my scapegoat. Sorry Bulma! Also, as long as there are people enjoying it, I'm fine, though I appreciate that you think I deserve more reviews. That's very sweet of you. I agree that most people write Vegeta/Pan really harshly, which is kind of why my story is softer. I like it a little softer. Since this is my first story, it's extra soft, just so I don't get myself into any trouble, haha. Also, I'm a big fan of action! I loved the awesome fight scenes from the show, though it's hard for me to write fight scenes. Thank you for the critique too, I greatly appreciate it. It's my first story, and I'm glad you're willing to give me some tips. Just to go off on a little tangent here, reading your name aloud makes me smile. As a final note, you're English is just fine, so no worries. I never would have known from reading your reviews that Dutch was your first language, so good job! I hope you stay interested in my story the whole way. And greetings from the United States!

Whew, that was the longest reviewer response and post-chapter author's note I've done, but I love that people stop by and review, so I feel like leaving you guys little notes at the end.


	9. Whatever It Takes

Author's Note: I'm certainly enjoying the extra time summer is giving me to work on this story. I hope you all enjoy chapter nine.

Disclaimer: I don't own it.

" " ~talking

' ' ~ thinking

Chapter 9: Whatever It Takes

Trunks and Goten scoured the surrounding buildings but found no signs of Bra. Goten was becoming increasingly frustrated.

"Kami! I don't see her anywhere! What are we supposed to do?" Goten asked.

"I'm not sure. She's not anywhere in this part of the city. I wonder if Pan and my father have had any luck," Trunks mused.

"Maybe we're better off looking for them," Goten suggested.

"Alright, let's go."

The pair blasted off in the opposite direction, hoping their comrades were having better luck.

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Vegeta cursed his luck as Akki dealt him yet another furious blow. He certainly hadn't bargained for such power in his opponent. His muscles burned from over exertion, and he felt much weaker than usual. Sustaining his Super Saiya-jin 4 form was becoming more of a task than he believed possible. Akki seemed fairly worn out though, which Vegeta couldn't help but smirk about. As they continued their fight, Kain ran out to them.

"Master, everything is ready!" he called. For less than a second, Vegeta split his concentration, a mistake his opponent was fully aware of. Akki gave Vegeta a malicious smirk before disappeared from sight. He glanced around but still couldn't find him. Vegeta abruptly lost consciousness after being struck from behind. Akki cackled as the Saiya-jin warrior's body fell to the ground and reverted to its normal state. He looked to his older brother.

"Pick him up, will you brother? I want him restrained in the ceremony room so he can watch as I perform the ritual. When you finish, you can go give Ziust a hand. I want the Hime back intact, and I know he has an insatiable hunger," Akki ordered. He took a moment to catch his breath and wipe the dust from his clothes. Kain approached Vegeta's fallen form cautiously.

"Don't worry, he won't be waking up any time soon. Be sure to properly restrain him, though. We wouldn't want him escaping now, would we?" Akki said pleasantly before he walked back into the building to wash up and prepare himself for the task at hand. Kain picked Vegeta up from the ground and followed his younger brother inside.

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Bra watched carefully as Pan and Ziust fought for the second time. They seemed equal in strength, matching one another blow for blow. Pan threw a punch at Ziust's face, but he dodged her and brought both fists to her back, sending her crashing to the ground. For the brief moment Pan was incapacitated, Ziust looked at Bra.

"You're next, monkey," he hissed. When he looked back down at Pan, she was standing with her hands cupped together on one side. Bra recognized the stance and backed away slightly. The raven haired Saiya-jin collected a light blue energy in her hands, and when she felt ready, she directed it at Ziust.

"Kamehameha!" she cried, aiming her attack with deadly precision. Ziust could barely dodge it in time. The attack grazed his right arm and purple blood seeped out. Pan cursed under her breath.

"You little witch!" Ziust growled, inspected his wounded appendage briefly. He zipped down to her and delivered a fierce punch to her face. She fell to the ground a good distance from her attacker. Bra let out a small gasp when Pan didn't immediately stand up.

"What's wrong, monkey? Have you had enough?" Ziust laughed. He slowly walked toward her downed form. She lay in the sand with her eyes closed and her brow furrowed in pain. When he finally stood over her, the lizard man laughed.

"Looks like you couldn't beat me after all," he teased. In the midst of his laughter, Pan leapt to her feet and fired a ki blast at him at point blank range. Ziust was knocked off his feet. As he lay on the ground, she wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth. When he picked himself up, Ziust was growling.

"You treacherous wretch!" he yelled. Pan fell back into a fighting stance. Ziust attacked her haphazardly in his rage. Pan tried to keep her cool, but Ziust's attacks had become random and incredibly violent. It was all she could do to avoid the different parts of his body that were spiked. Soon she was regretting angering him. Every blow that connected seemed twice as fierce as the last. He made to kick her but she jumped back and out of the way, only to have him fire a volley of ki blasts at her, some of which she had no chance of dodging. Bra watched from above in dismay as the battle slow lost favor in Pan.

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Goten was ready to give up the search for good until he saw a bright blue wave of energy surge up through the sky.

"Trunks, that has to be Pan over there!" he cried in excitement. His friend looked in the same direction, but the blast was long gone by the time he turned.

"Where?" he asked.

"Over there!" he pointed.

"Are you sure it's Pan?"

"It has to be! That was a Kamehameha attack, and she's the only other person here that knows it."

"Alright, let's go then!"

They flew to the scene as quickly as they could, Goten slightly in the lead. When they arrived, they saw Bra floating in the air and Pan fighting on the ground. She and Ziust were trading vicious blows that caused the ground to tremble and crack beneath them while the reddened sand blew haphazardly around them. They were both bloodied and bruised, but neither showed any sign of backing down. Goten flew over to Bra and hugged her tightly.

"I'm so glad you're alright!" he proclaimed. Bra gave a small smile and returned the hug.

"How's Pan doing?" he asked when he released her.

"It's hard to tell. I think they're even," Bra answered. Goten frowned.

"What are we doing up here? We should go down there and help her," Trunks said as he joined Goten and his sister.

"She isn't losing, and this is her fight. She has a score to settle with that lizard," Bra argued. Her brother frowned but said nothing more. Trunks turned away from the two next to him as they began whispering back and forth and stared off in the distance. His eyes widened when he caught sight of a dark mass moving across the dark sand of Iroka.

"What is that?" he asked the others, pointing toward the movement. Bra and Goten ceased their quiet chatter for a moment and looked as well.

"Oh man, are those people?" Goten asked when the mass got closer. Bra gasped when she was finally able to focus on the approaching agglomeration.

"Those are people! But they look weird. They're all dead looking," she cringed.

"You're right. It's like they're zombies or something," Trunks agreed.

"We need to warn Pan! They're heading straight for her!" Bra gasped. Goten nodded and looked down at his niece.

"Pan, look out!" he called, "There are a bunch of people coming your way!"

She stopped her fight with Ziust briefly to figure out what exactly her uncle was talking about. During her brief pause to gaze at the large group of people heading her way, Ziust came up behind her and captured her tail. She cried out and fell to her knees when he squeezed it none too gently. He cackled behind her.

"Not so tough now, are you monkey?" he mocked. Pan clenched her jaw and squeezed her eyes shut. The pain was unbearable. Goten rushed down to the ground, ready to defend his relative. Trunks and Bra weren't far behind.

"I suggest you stay back," Ziust warned as he pulled Pan up to him by the throat with his free hand, "You wouldn't want me to snap her tiny neck, would you?"

Goten sneered but did nothing more. The mass of people could now be heard stomping along the sand toward the fighters. Bra glanced nervously over her shoulder as they approached. Ziust followed her gaze and laughed again.

"It seems that Kain has released Akki's little surprise to come take care of the rest of you," he said smugly, seeming to have forgotten his true objective altogether.

"What are those things?" Trunks demanded.

"I see you've noticed they aren't quite normal," Ziust began, "They're Akki's demônios. He made them himself, with his brother's help, of course."

"Demônios?" Goten questioned aloud.

"Yes, they have only one desire, energy. They have a never ending hunger for it. Soon, they'll be upon you, feasting on your life force until nothing is left and you become one of them," Ziust informed them, tightening his grip on Pan.

"Won't they attack you, too?" Bra shot.

"If I stay here, but I'll be leaving with your friend and there's nothing you can do about it." He rose into the air, ready to leave before the demônios arrived. Goten wasn't going to allow him to escape with his niece though. He shot a ki blast at Ziust's back, surprising him. His grip on Pan loosened enough for her to elbow him in the ribs so he'd fully release her. She landed next to her uncle and wrapped her tail around her waist protectively, certain not to let it be used against her again. Ziust released an angered growl but didn't pursue his meal. It was too late. He turned and flew away as quickly as he could as Akki's monsters came upon the others.

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Kain tightened the restrains around his captive one last time before preparing to leave to aid Ziust. He was in a large, round room with candles circling the wall that burned with blue flames. Crimson curtains hung high in the air, pinned up by gold cords to keep them from meeting the flames of the candles. In the middle on the floor, a perfect circle was drawn in a thick black ink with many arcing lines throughout it. The room was quiet. Kain looked at Vegeta nervously, who was bound to the wall only a few feet away from him. He had bound the Saiya-jin no Ouji's arms and legs with white tethers that glowed brightly. At the moment, the only movement Vegeta made was the steady rising and lowering of his chest as he breathed. The door burst open, and Kain's head snapped in the direction of the sound. When he realized it was Ziust, he frowned deeply.

"Why are you back here without the girl?" Kain asked.

"I didn't have time to retrieve her. _Master_ Akki released those disgusting demônios too soon, and they caught up with me before I could grab her. There were four of those Saiya-jins against me, and I had all of five minutes to do the job," Ziust hissed.

"Master Akki won't like that. When he comes back, he might even kill you," Kain warned.

"I know that, but it's not my fault that he released his little vampire creatures so early. If he had given me just a few more minutes, I would have had her."

"They're going to kill Bra and turn her, you know that."

"Yeah, yeah, but like I said, it wasn't my fault. Maybe next time Akki will think things through better."

"Well, how do you plan to fix this so Akki doesn't kill you?"

"Why should I have to fix something I didn't even mess up? Akki should have to figure it out, not me. I didn't even get to dine on that other Saiya-jin's insides, so he isn't the only one that has to deal with disappointment."

"There are plenty of people you can eat, but Master Akki has a very limited amount of people he can use in this ceremony."

"Why aren't you performing the ceremony for yourself? Why aren't you trying to obtain immortality?"

"Because it's only meant for those fit to be Rei, like my brother. I wasn't chosen, so I'm not worthy."

"Could you do it anyway?"

"Probably, but I won't. It's not my place or my right. I didn't earn it, Akki did."

"You're stuck too far up your brother's ass if you ask me."

"I didn't."

"I'm just saying. You don't have to be so touchy about it. I'm going down to the dining room, I'm starving."

"You're always starving."

"Say whatever you like, but I'm getting something to eat."

With that, Ziust turned and left swiftly. To Kain, it seemed as if Ziust was a bit scared and in quite a hurry to leave. He chuckled to himself but wondered what would happen now that Bra was lost to them.

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The four Saiya-jins looked at one another briefly before staring down the demônios. The creatures were so worn and haggard. Bra felt bile rise up her throat when they were close enough to smell.

"What do we do?" Bra asked the others.

"It doesn't look like we have much of a choice. We're going to have to fight them off," Pan responded, easily readying herself for a fight.

"But there are so many of them!" Goten added.

"They don't seem very smart or fast. They're just running at us. I think we should try," Pan told her uncle, who nodded.

"Then let's do it," Trunks affirmed, transforming into Super Saiya-jin with Goten on the spot.

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Vegeta cracked his eyelids and held back a moan when his head began pounding. Akki had used more than enough force to knock him out. His eyes snapped open the rest of the way when he realized he was bound and couldn't move an inch. After glancing around a bit, he realized Akki had been true to his word and planned to have him watch as his daughter was sacrificed in some alien ritual. He caught sight of Kain standing to the side. Kain felt Vegeta's eyes on him, so he turned to make eye contact.

"I didn't expect you to wake up so early," Kain smirked.

"Shut up, worm," Vegeta growled. Kain approached the seemingly harmless man.

"In case you haven't noticed, you're in no position to order me around, _Ouji_," Kain chuckled.

"You think these silly ropes will hold me? You're stupider than you look," Vegeta teased. Kain backhanded the Saiya-jin with a frown set deep on his face.

"You're so arrogant, like Master Akki said you would be, but your arrogance is wasted."

"We'll see about that."

"Master Akki created those tethers specifically for you. He knows the limit of your power, so you won't be able to break free. I suggest you just wait here until he comes in."

Vegeta growled and attempted to break free.

"I told you, there's no escaping. Besides, if you get too restless, I'll just drain you of your energy," Kain laughed.

"You couldn't handle all the power I possess," Vegeta mocked.

"Oh really? I would test that theory of yours, but Master Akki wants me to leave you conscious," Kain said calmly.

"This ridiculous ceremony isn't going to happen. That lizard will never beat Pan, and I'll break out of here soon enough to kill you and your foolish master,"

"You're right, but only partially. Unfortunately, Ziust didn't have enough time to grab your daughter before the demônios arrived. However, they'll drain her and her friends of all their energy and turn them into demônios. Master Akki will be very angry. I'm guessing he'll release the changed forms of your companions into this room with you so the last thing you see is those you care about killing you slowly."

Vegeta shot an icy glare at Kain but said nothing further. Kain seemed to be having fun taunting the captured Ouji though, so he continued.

"Does it hurt, Saiya-jin? To know that the ones you love are going to die slow, painful deaths, only to turn on you and deliver you the same fate? You know, that daughter of yours was very pretty. It's such a shame that her life was wasted so. If Ziust hadn't been so slow, you would have been able to see her one last time in her true form. Oh well, Bra's dead now, and you couldn't do a thing to save her. Looks like you came all this way for nothing," Kain said, chuckling at the end. He locked eyes with Vegeta again, only to find him chuckling too.

"What's so funny, monkey?" Kain snapped. Vegeta's eyes shifted to the now open doorway. Kain followed his gaze and lost suddenly lost his arrogant demeanor.

"Brother?" his acknowledgment of Akki standing in the doorway was just barely audible.

"What is the meaning of this, Kain?" Akki asked, anger laced heavily in his sing-song voice.

"Master, I'm sorry, but Ziust didn't capture Bra in time. The demônios caught up to him too quickly," Kain explained hastily, fearing the wrath of his brother.

"I told you to go help him. Did you not obey my order?" Akki asked.

"He's been sitting around here the whole time, talking to me," Vegeta laughed.

"Stay out of this, Saiya-jin," Kain barked before regarding his brother once more, "I was going to, but as soon as I finished restraining Vegeta, Ziust came into the room and told me the demônios had shown up too quickly and prevented him from grabbing Bra before it was too late."

"I spent all of this time waiting just for her, and you fools have failed to obtain her, yet again! Brother, I do not wish to kill you, but if you have done this on purpose just to spite Vegeta, I will have no other choice."

"I would never do that to you, brother! Ziust was just too slow!"

"I see. Well, I suppose we'll just have to take a look at my demônios and see what exactly they are up to," Akki said calmly, pulling the orb Vegeta had seen on Chikyuu from his robes. After pressing a series of buttons on the ball's surface, he held it in front of him and released it. The orb floated to the center of the room and landed softly on the ground. As soon as it made contact with the floor, it grew substantially. An image slowly appeared within the orb and when it cleared, Vegeta realized it was focused on Pan and the others.

"Vegeta no Ouji, I hope you will enjoy the show. It should be entertaining, to say the least. I do not wish to waste any more time chasing your daughter. She will most certainly die out there, for the demônios are ruthless and ever hungry. It pains me to give up on her so easily after all the time I have wasted, but I shall become immortal soon enough, and time will no longer exist for me. But I do hate to see a beauty such as your daughter go to such waste," Akki said, his green eyes focused on the image projected in the orb. His words fell on deaf ears, however, because Vegeta was watching the image intently. He saw Pan standing defensively in front of his daughter, ready to protect Bra with her life. The look on her face was incredibly menacing. She stared at the nearest of Akki's abominations, baring her teeth and raising her ki. Goten stood near her, just as ready to defend Bra. Trunks and Goten were both in their Super Saiya-jin forms already. The demônios attacked, hundreds of them flying at the four Saiya-jins. Vegeta felt his muscles tense and tighten as he watched. He began struggling, trying to free himself from the tethers so he could protect the others. Akki looked over at him with an amused smirk dancing across his face.

"You can't escape, Vegeta. It is in your best interest to simply watch," he reprimanded. Vegeta ignored him and powered up to Super Saiya-jin. As soon as he did, a searing pain shot through his entire body. He continued raising his power, which increased the pain exponentially. The Saiya-jin no Ouji cried out, but kept trying to raise his power. Akki watched, thoroughly amused by Vegeta's actions. Vegeta's vision began to cloud and he could no longer focus and hold onto his energy. He dropped back to his normal form and slumped as much as he could while tied up so securely.

"You are a slow learner, Vegeta. I tried to warn you. Perhaps now you will listen and simply watch the show," Akki said, motioning to his orb. Vegeta clenched his teeth and balled his fists tightly but made no further attempt to escape. It was all he could do to lift his head and watch the events playing out in the crystal ball.

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Pan glanced around, trying not to let her nervousness show. There were so many enemies coming at them. She didn't know if she'd be able to take them all and defend Bra as well. Trunks and her uncle had already powered up to Super Saiya-jin, and she could feel their stress rolling off them in waves. The demônios closed in on the four Saiya-jins. Pan tensed and watched those closest to her for any sign of movement.

All at once, they pounced. Their attacks were sloppy and feral. It was then Pan knew that Ziust hadn't lied; these being were truly out to steal her energy. They clawed at her hungrily, but Pan batted them away and took to the sky. When she looked around, she saw that the others had done the same. However, there wasn't much time to be spent watching the others. One of the demônios slammed into Pan's back, sending her flying across the sky. Another was there to strike her again, knocking her down to the ground with barrage of punches. Goten looked down to his niece. She took note of the fact that they could fly but weren't much of a threat individually and were actually quite weak when singled out.

"Pan! Get up!" he yelled, worry evident in his voice. He was jumped while focused on his niece and spiraled to the ground. Pan pulled herself to her knees and watched as her uncle plummeted to the ground, demônios grabbing hold of him.

"Uncle Goten!" she cried as she blasted off toward her fallen uncle, powering up along the way. She blasted through the group of demônios piled on top of Goten. He pulled himself up and held his head.

"I guess I should be more careful!" he laughed.

"This is no time for jokes, uncle," Pan said, her face one of seriousness. He nodded in agreement before they returned to the sky to help the other two. Pan joined Bra, who looked to be having more and more trouble as time went on. Pan fought the numerous demônios that growled and snapped at her and Bra. She began to slow and tire. There were so many enemies, and her energy was not unlimited. Bra watched as Pan did all she could to protect her, since she was the weakest of the four. She felt her heart sink when she realized just how much weaker she was. Bra berated herself for not training more. She hated having to hide behind the others in such times.

"Don't worry about me, Pan!" she called to her friend. Her pride wouldn't allow Pan to fight for her any longer, though deep in her heart she knew she would be making a mistake sending Pan away. The raven haired fighter turned to her friend, a dismayed look plastered across her feminine features.

"But Bra, I promised Vegeta-sama that I would pro--" she was struck from behind and knocked into her friend. They smacked heads and fell to the ground. Bra picked herself up and stared sternly at her friend.

"I can handle myself. You need to watch your own back," Bra lectured. Pan growled her discontent but made no argument. She knew Bra was just like her father, and her pride was something she could not interfere with. Pan shook her head irately and charged back into the fight with more vigor. She made it her goal to take out as many enemies as possible so Bra would have less to fight.

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Vegeta frowned deeply at the display. Not only were the four young Saiya-jins outnumbered, but they weren't working together very well. He wondered why Trunks and Goten had not attempted to fuse into Gotenks. He cursed himself for passing such prideful attributes to his daughter. She was by no means weak, but her fighting skills were novice since she'd waited so long to start training. Deep down, he worried for Pan's safety. Her skills were something to behold, but there were far too many enemies who were all hungry for energy. He feared his pupil was attempting to take on too much.

Kain chuckled at the sight before him. He wondered how such a graceless, talentless group of fighters managed to take on Ziust. Their current performance was nothing short of embarrassing. He could feel the icy glare Vegeta was shooting him, but that only increased the volume of his laughter. However, he cut it short when he realized Ziust had entered the room. Akki stared at him blankly. There was a visible nervousness about the lizard, but he entered the room with as much composure as he could manage.

"Ziust, I am pleased to see you. Tell me, what was it about these four bumbling Saiya-jins that prevented you from recapturing the Hime and bringing her to me?" motioning to the orb in the center of the room as he spoke. Ziust looked to the ball and saw his previous opponents sporting a variety of cuts and bruises, all breathing heavily already. Nervousness was the only feeling he was experiencing.

"It's that other girl, Master," he spouted pathetically, "She is far more underhanded than she looks. She held me off long enough for your pets to arrive. I had no choice but to leave."

"I can't say that I blame you for leaving, but I find it hard to believe that Pan would cause you such trouble. She doesn't even possess the ability to go Super Saiya-jin," Akki mused.

"She's strong, Master. I promise you. While on Chikyuu, she managed to hold both Kain and I off until Vegeta came to her rescue," Ziust hissed, eying Kain warily.

"I see, so this girl is simply a master of stalling. Well, she won't be getting the help she seeks this time. Her savior is tied helplessly to the wall over there. I believe her luck has finally run out."

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Pan's breathing was labored and she continuously wiped at a gash above her left eye to keep the blood from running down and clouding her vision. There were significantly less demônios, but there were still many left. She wasn't sure if she and her tired comrades were capable of fighting too much longer. She looked to Bra briefly and noticed how injured her friend was. The Hime's body was covered in a multitude of scratches from the demônios that simply clawed and scratched their way up her body. Pan's heart fell at such a sight. Her friend had always been proud of her flawless skin and figure, but the demônios had seen to changing that. Growing tired of such repetitive combat, Pan brought her hands to her forehead. Her right hand rested palm up on her left, which rested palm up on her forehead. Using a move her father taught her, Pan gathered her energy to her palms. She could feel the heat from her energy on her face. Aiming in an area empty of allies but full of demônios, she forced the blast out with a pushing motion of her overlapping hands.

"Masenko, ha!" was her cry as the discharged power flew away from her, instantly disintegrating a number of enemies. She smirked briefly, but when she turned back to the others, her heart dropped to the floor.

Bra fought as best she could, but the aqua haired beauty was no much for the vast number of demônios that were attacking her. Pan briefly mused over the idea that they were smart enough to attack the weakest link in their party. She quickly shook such thoughts from her mind and took to the air, ready to aid her friend. Soon, she lost sight of Bra entirely. A wave of enemies covered her. They growled and snarled like hungry animals, tearing at Bra whenever they got the chance. The deafening screams coming from the young warrior were enough to trigger Pan, Trunks, and Goten into action. The three Saiya-jins pulled, kicked, punched, and threw the beasts out of the way, all desperate to pull Bra free from the pile of single minded abominations. Pan began to panic. She couldn't see her friend. Her heart was racing as she dove deeper into the sea of demônios. She must have been right; they were smart enough to go after the easiest meal. Her worry became vocalized.

"Bra!" she cried, "Bra! Please answer me!"

She blasted more of the creatures away. Briefly, she locked eyes with Goten, who had an incredible look of concentration and ferocity on his face as he struggled to reach Bra. An arm, Bra's arm, burst from the pile of enemies and reached out for help. A muffled cry could be heard and Pan dove for the appendage. Just as she reached it, Bra was roughly pulled back in. The demônios seemed to have lost interest in the other three entirely and were dead set on attacking the downed fighter. Pan felt tears trickling down her face. Her friend was going to die, and it was all her fault. She could have just ignored Bra's silly pride and protected her anyway. She had let Vegeta down. She had sealed Bra's fate. With a cry of frustration, her power exploded and knocked most of the remaining villains away. Trunks and Goten made quick work of the others nearby. Trunks looked away to make sure they were clear and saw that there were still a good number of foes left but none seemed interested in them at the moment.

Bra lay in a heap, surrounded by a pool of her own blood. Her hair was streaked in red and matted to her face. Her clothes were torn to ribbons and her body scratched up almost beyond recognition. There was no steady rise or fall of her chest. Goten knelt next to her, taking her fallen form into his arms. The tears poured freely down his face. Trunks held an unreadable expression on his face, but the tears came soon enough for his baby sister. The fighting seemed to stop briefly to allow the three warriors time to grieve. It seemed as though the other demônios couldn't tell where the Saiya-jins were. Pan bowed her head, her tears dripping from her face and smattering onto the further reddened sand beneath her. With her eyes still downcast, she spoke softly through clenched teeth to her friends.

"Take her body and leave," she commanded.

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Vegeta's eyes widened in shock at the sickening scene before him. His daughter had just been washed away in a dark sea of fetid enemies. When he saw the three remaining fighters crying as they gathered around her lifeless form, he knew she was gone. Akki's strange planet prevented him from sensing her energy, but the expressions on the others' faces was all he needed as confirmation.

"My, that went by quickly. My pets must have been unbearably hungry today," he chuckled. Vegeta felt his anger boil to an uncontrollable level. With a cry filled with sorrow, rage, and hate, the Ouji transformed directly to his Super Saiya-jin 4 form. He felt the excruciating pain from the tethers that bound him, but nothing could break his steely focus. In a fierce display of brute strength, he tore himself free from his restraints and blasted his way out of the building, not even bothering with Akki and the others.

"Should we go after him?" Kain asked.

"No, the girl is dead, so they are no longer of any use to us," Akki answered, shaking his head in mock disappointment. He continued to watch the screen, eager to see the remaining Saiya-jins drained of their power before Vegeta arrived. However, what he saw instead was quite shocking.

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"What?" Trunks exclaimed.

"I said, take Bra and leave!" Pan commanded with more force, raising her head to lock eyes with Trunks. He gasped when he saw that her eyes had changed to a deadly teal. The ground began shaking beneath them. He quickly understood her request. Tapping Goten on the shoulder, he brought him to a stand, Bra lying limply in his arms. They flew away from the scene as quickly as they could, Trunks blasting any demônios that tried to follow. Most seemed to stay behind though, attracted to Pan's rapidly rising power level. Her tears flowed freely down her cheeks, and her body shook in her anger. With a bestial cry, she released all the pain, anger, and sorrow in the form of energy. A strange heat filled her body. Her aura exploding in a blinding golden light, instantly vaporizing anything that got too close. Some of the sand beneath her turned to glass from the immense amount of heat and pressure she was generating. When her aura receded to surround just her body, the bright light faded. Pan stood in a circle of glass, finally a Super Saiya-jin. Most of her bangs stood up now, but a few locks remained hanging over her forehead. The normally black hair that hung to her shoulders now stood spiked back but not quite up all the way. She seethed in her anger, directing her hateful gaze to the remaining opponents who leapt at her hungrily.

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Akki stared in fascination at the orb. Such power from such a nuisance. He laughed aloud.

"If only she had managed that just moments sooner. Perhaps she would have saved my sacrifice," he grimaced. Kain frowned, his brother was angry.

"I wonder if dear Vegeta knows his youthful companion has transformed. He seemed quite focused on seeing his dead daughter," Akki continued.

"Ah, well, that's the end of that, wouldn't you say?" he asked, directing the question at his brother.

"Don't you think they'll come for us now?" Kain wondered.

"It matters not. They are no match for me, and their morale has been severely damaged by this most recent event. I advise against worrying about it. I can handle them if they seek revenge," Akki answered. Kain nodded but remained in the room, eager to see if their enemies would indeed return for a fight.

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Pan didn't have time to admire her new power. She was too focused on utterly destroying the remaining demônios. It seemed as though she possessed an endless supply of energy. She fired a plethora of ki blasts all around, decimating the creatures who were dumb enough to get too close. Then she phased out of sight and reappeared behind the closest enemy. With a swift kick, the monster was split in two. Before it completely split in half, Pan had already moved to the next enemy, defeating it in a similar manner. She made quick work of many of the demônios. The small group of remaining demônios collected themselves and charged her as a single body. She spread her legs apart in a stance meant to keep her steady. The she brought her hands together and cupped them to one side.

"Ka…me…" she focused her anger and grief into the final blast.

"Ha…me…" her tears finally stopped and were replaced with the deadly seriousness only a Son in battle could possess.

"Ha!" she fired the light blue energy at the pack of demons and completely obliterated them. She panted heavily, still baring her teeth and filled with rage. She fell to her knees, still in Super Saiya-jin form, which she failed to notice she had achieved. The brand new Super Saiya-jin cried out in her fury and sorrow. Repeatedly, she punched the sand below her. The grains dug into her skin and scratched her knuckles, but she didn't care. Tears spilled over her cheeks once more and she cried out again.

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Trunks and Goten landed far enough away from Pan, to the point where she was only a small blob in the distance. Goten gently set Bra down on the sand, his tears never once stopping. Trunks paced behind him, his Briefs mind processing and calculating.

"Goten," he said sharply, catching his friend's attention just barely, "Ziust said those things wanted our energy, right? Well, what if they only took most of Bra's energy, to the point where she seems dead, like some sort of energy related comatose?"

Goten's eyes lit up, "Do you think we could just give her some energy back?"

"I'm not sure, but it's worth a try. We need to hurry though. Ziust also mentioned something about us changing into those things," Trunks answered, kneeling on the other side of Bra. They took turns pumping energy into their fallen friend.

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Akki frowned at the display before him. Pan had destroyed all of his pets. Kain grunted and left the room, Ziust not far behind. However, Akki continued to watch. The view changed to that of Trunks and Goten. When he realized what they were doing, his eyes widened. 'She might live,' he thought to himself. He grinned maliciously. 'Perfect,' he thought, laughing aloud. It was then he chose to exit, seeking his underlings to tell them of the second trip to Chikyuu he was now planning.

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Vegeta soared through the air in the direction he had seen Pan and Bra fly when he sent them away. He silently cursed himself for basically throwing them into danger with such a move. In the distance he saw a bright flash of golden light that quickly receded. He assumed it was Trunks or Goten, powering up in grief. He was partially correct. The Ouji followed the light to its source but was surprised when he saw Pan instead of Trunks or Goten, who were nowhere in his immediate sight. He watched intently as his pupil made quick work of demônios left on the battlefield. There was a brief moment in which he felt overwhelming pride for her transformation, but it was quickly overshadowed by much bigger issues. He could practically feel her pain from where he hovered. He watched as she fell to her knees, and he could hear her anguished cries as she repeatedly stuck the ground. It was then he chose to make his entrance, but she didn't seem aware of him at all. He went to her and knelt by her side, still in his highest Super Saiya-jin form. Pan finally noticed him and looked up at him, guilt clearly written on her face. She thought it was her fault. His heart cried out for him to tell her it wasn't so, but he remained silent. Instead, he pulled her into a hug and let her cry a little longer. After a few more minutes, he spoke.

"Where are the others, Pan?" he asked, trying to sound as calm as possible. She pointed in the direction they had gone.

"We need to go to them. We have to be strong. That's what Bra would want," he said, trying to comfort her but not quite sure how to. She nodded and dried her tears as she stood. He took that time to study her more closely. He decided he liked her as a Super Saiya-jin. They took off in the direction Pan had pointed and flew until they came upon the other three. Trunks and Goten looked exhausted, more so then they had after fighting. Trunks looked up at his father. No one had time to commend Pan for achieving Super Saiya-jin.

"I think we can save her, Father. Those things stole her energy, but I think that if we give her enough back, we can get her conscious long enough to get her back to the ship so she can eat a Senzu Bean," he explained. Vegeta's eyes widened a little, but he hid his growing excitement. He would give anything to have his little girl back. Pan took a knee near her best friend and began giving Bra her energy. She dropped out of her Super Saiya-jin form without notice as she continued feeding her friend much needed energy. Though she knew it would be more logical for Vegeta to offer his energy since he was so much stronger, Pan felt it was her task alone to save her friend. When Vegeta placed a hand on her shoulder, she stopped the flow of energy. She had given far too much and could feel her head spinning. She looked down at Bra, whose eyes cracked open. Bra tried to move her hand up, but it fell limply to her side after rising only a few inches. She turned her head to face Pan fully.

"Pan-chan?" she asked shakily. Pan's eyes widened and waves of relief washed over her.

The raven haired Saiya-jin looked down with an expression of disbelief on her face and whispered, "You're alive," before collapsing from over exertion.

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There's chapter nine. Holy cow that was strange to write. I hope that all reads well. To my reviewers:

chimney leaf: Languages are fun, and, as always, thanks for your review.

Bluebanany: Thank you for reviewing, and I love leaving messages for you guys, because you're all so awesome for letting me know what you think of my story.

BlackOnyx83: Thanks for stopping by and reading. I'm both flattered and glad you enjoy it.


	10. Homestead Hostilities

Author's Note: Hopefully this section of down time won't deter you from continuing to read my story.

Disclaimer: I don't own it.

" " ~talking

' ' ~thinking

Chapter 10: Homestead Hostilities

Vegeta caught Pan as she fell and dropped his hold on his Super Saiya-jin 4 form. The three able bodied Saiya-jins looked at one another.

"We should get back to the ship as fast as we can," Goten said, holding the barely conscious Bra close to his chest. Vegeta frowned at the sight but agreed. As they flew, the Ouji fed Pan some of his energy in hopes that she'd awaken. To his relief, her eyes slid open only a couple minutes later. She looked up at him, clearly confused. Pan blushed slightly when she realized he was carrying her.

"I can fly by myself if you need me to," she whispered.

"Hush," was all he said as he pulled her a bit closer. Pan snuggled into his chest and allowed her tired eyes to rest. Trunks observed their brief interaction as he flew next to his father. He felt a pang of jealousy, wishing he was the one carrying Pan back to the ship.

They arrived back at their spacecraft without issue, which disturbed Vegeta. Goten hurried inside. He rushed up to the lounge area while Trunks retrieved a Senzu Bean for his sister. They fed Bra the bean and watched as her wounds cleared up. She sat up after a few moments, wide eyed.

"How are you feeling, Bra?" Goten asked. She smiled at him.

"I feel great, and my wounds all closed up," she answered. Goten smiled widely at her.

"I'm so glad. You scared us back there!" he exclaimed, though not in a negative tone.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled.

"Don't worry about it."

"Where is my daddy? And where is Pan?"

"Vegeta probably took Pan to her room. She really tired herself out back there. But that's not a surprise since she turned Super Saiya-jin!"

"What? And I missed it?"

"Yeah, and she gave you a lot of energy so you'd wake up so we could give you a Senzu Bean. Do you remember any of what happened back there?"

"Sort of. I remember those gross demônios scratching and grabbing me. Then I remember getting really weak and everything went dark. Then Pan was standing over me with this weird look on her face and she passed out, and then we came back here."

"You should have seen it! It was awesome!" Goten shouted, flailing his hands in the air to describe the scene, "As soon as Pan saw you getting attacked, she rushed to you, and she, Trunks, and I tried to get all those demônios off you. When we finally did, you were lying on the ground and we thought you were dead! Pan didn't take it too well. She was just standing there, looking at the ground and crying. She told Trunks and I to take you and leave. We kind of just stood there for a minute, so she looked up at us and told us to leave again. It was a little scary though. Her eyes were teal, like she was already Super Saiya-jin, but her hair was still normal. The look on her face was so intense. She was so upset because she thought you were dead. Trunks and I got away fast, but I knew she was going to do it, I knew she was going to become a Super Saiya-jin, and it was all for you. It was so cool!"

Bra laughed at her friend. He got so excited when he told stories sometimes. But she was touched. Pan had gone all out for her sake. She would have to give her a big hug and a thousand thank yous to show her gratitude. Her thoughts were interrupted by the loud growling noises her stomach was making. Trunks, Goten, and Bra all went to the kitchen and found Vegeta sitting in one of the chairs when they arrived. Bra rushed to him and embraced him.

"Daddy, I was so worried about you!" she exclaimed. He hugged her back briefly.

"I'm glad to see that you've made a full recovery," he said neutrally, though Bra knew he really had been worried about her. Trunks stepped toward them.

"Father, I've been thinking. What are we going to do, now? They must think we're dead, so should we just head back home?" he asked.

"We should return to Chikyuu, but they know we aren't dead," the Ouji answered.

"How could they know that? Ziust was so certain that we'd die, he must have told the others that that's what happened," Trunks countered.

"I was in that building, and they were all watching everything that was happening with you four. I saw it as well."

"Then why haven't they come after us?"

"That fool Akki must be hatching a plan. We should leave while we can and use the time to come up with a plan of our own. We need to warn Gohan and the others, though. We aren't sure if Akki can use that crystal ball of his to travel between planets."

Trunks nodded in agreement, "I'll go let mother and the others know what's happened then."

Vegeta nodded back and turned to the others.

"Daddy, do you think it would be alright if I went to see Pan?" she asked.

"She's sleeping, so you'd have to wake her up. I suggest you keep it short, though," he replied. Bra smiled, grabbed Goten's hand, and had him lead her to Pan's room. They walked in her room together to find her sitting up in her bed, a forlorn expression on her face.

"I thought you were sleeping," Goten said.

"I was for a little bit, but I'm feeling alright now," Pan answered. Bra couldn't contain herself any longer. She hugged Pan tightly.

"I heard what you did back there, and I've got to say, I'm impressed. But I knew you had it in you!" she said excitedly.

"Thanks Bra," Pan laughed, throwing an arm back behind her head in the typical Son fashion.

"Well, I promised Daddy I wouldn't stay long, so I've got to go, but we'll talk later!" Bra declared. Pan smiled and nodded. Goten hugged his niece briefly before leaving with his crush. Pan slumped down in her bed, relaxing again. Her body was sore and still sported all of her battle wounds. However, she was too tired and too relaxed to get up to change clothes or clean herself off. The door swung open again, and she expected to see Bra come in to mention something about shopping. She was surprised to see Vegeta walk in instead. He locked the door behind him, but Pan didn't give it a second thought.

"Vegeta-sama," she gasped. A thousand things ran through her mind at once. Was he mad at her for doing such a poor job as Bra's protector? Was he frustrated by how weak she had been? Was he disappointed? She felt her bed depress and looked up at the now sitting Ouji. Pan looked away, ashamed.

"I'm sorry you had to come save us," she said. Vegeta quirked his brow. Did she not remember turning Super Saiya-jin and defeating all those demônios?

"Silly girl, I didn't save you," he said calmly, a hint of amusement in his voice.

"I remember seeing you there though. I figured you came in and rescued me because I don't really remember everything that happened," she said.

"What do you remember?" Vegeta questioned.

"Well, I remember fighting and trying to protect Bra, but she told me to watch my own back. So I did, and she got attacked by a lot of those things. Goten, Trunks, and I tried to free her, but when we did, we thought it was already too late. I remember telling them to take Bra and leave, then there was a bright light and I was really warm. Then I was crying on you a good ways from where I had originally been. We went to Bra, I gave her some energy, then everything went black," Pan trailed off. Vegeta laughed, earning him a frown from the quarter Saiya-jin.

"Allow me to fill you in. I watched most of your fight on that crystal ball of Akki's. I watched you all try to rescue Bra, and I saw her lying on the ground. I thought she was dead as well, so I flew as fast I could to her. I saw the same bright light as you. Do you know what that light was?" he asked.

"Not really, I just figured it was you powering up to save me," Pan whispered. Vegeta laughed again.

"It wasn't me, it was you. You became a Super Saiya-jin, defeated the rest of the demônios single handedly, and awoke Bra with your energy, all on your own," he explained. Pan sat up straight in her bed, almost knocking heads with Vegeta.

"I did what!" she yelled.

"Calm yourself. It was only a matter of time before you changed, like I've told you before."

"But I don't remember it at all."

"Do you not believe me?"

"I do, it's just that I wish I could remember. This is huge!"

"We're on our way back to Chikyuu now, but we can spend some time in the Gravity Room so you can test your new power."

"Really? That would be so awesome!" Pan cried, hugging her sensei in her excitement. He looked down at her with an amused expression on his face. She released him quickly and blushed, apologizing. He pulled her back to him, entertained by how easily she got nervous in physical situations with him. Vegeta leaned down and whispered in her ear.

"I'm quite fond of your Super Saiya-jin form, you know," he said. Pan felt a shiver run up her spine when she felt his hot breath on her ear. Vegeta smirked and rubbed her back softly. He felt the tears in her clothing and took better notice of the dried blood spattered on her body from her various wounds. She didn't seem to care, though. Pan had leaned into him further and sighed. Her tail uncurled from around her waist and wagged happily. Vegeta reluctantly released her. Her wounds needed to be tended to. Pan looked up at him but said nothing.

"You need a shower," he said. Pan looked down and blushed.

"I guess I do," she laughed. Pan stood up and went to her closet to find some clothes to bring with her to the bathroom. As she searched around for something reasonable in the pile of exotic clothes, Vegeta made himself comfortable on her bed. Finally, Pan settled for a blue tank top made of a spandex like material and black shorts that almost reached her knees. As she made to leave, she caught sight of Vegeta lying in her bed, resting his arms behind his head.

"Yes, you can lie all over my bed, I don't mind," she teased. Vegeta closed his eyes and smirked.

"Be sure to come right back here afterwards. I have something for you," he ordered. Pan nodded and left the room quickly. Her face flushed as she thought of what exactly it was that Vegeta was going to give her. Once in the bathroom, she peeled of her shredded clothes and took a moment to look at herself in the mirror. She frowned at the sight of her body. Cuts and bruises were everywhere she looked. The cut above her left eye still bled a little, and a dried trail of blood ran down to her chin from her cut. Her lip was split and made its own trail of blood down to her chin. When she brought up a hand to try to wipe some of the crust from her face, she gasped. Her knuckles were scraped, bloodied, and lined with sand. She sighed and got into the shower. The hot water that ran over her body moments later burned but relieved her at the same time. She cleaned herself as well as she could. After she felt she could get no cleaner, Pan turned the water off and stepped out onto the linoleum floor. She used her ki to dry herself and ran a brush through her dark tresses, taking time to flatten the fur of her fluffed tail. Then she changed and opened the door to leave. Remembering Vegeta's words, she went straight back to her room to find him sitting cross legged on her bed with various items scattered in front of him.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"Come here," was his answer. She obliged and sat across from him on her bed, his items lying between them. She realized he had pulled out first aid supplies. Apparently they were trying to save on Senzu Beans. He stared at her carefully for a moment before grabbing a few of the items and putting the rest into a first aid box lying on the floor next to the bed.

"Sit closer," he ordered, patting the spot on the bed he expected her to sit. Pan crawled over and resituated in front of him. Vegeta grabbed a small bottle of ointment and leaned in close to her. He dabbled it on her forehead cut. She hissed when the cool liquid made contact with her wound.

"Don't be such a baby," he lectured. Pan stuck her tongue out at him. He rolled his eyes and placed a bandage over her cut. She crossed her arms in mock anger. Vegeta caught sight of her worn knuckles and grabbed her arms, pulling them out of their crossed position.

"You really should be more careful when expressing your anger. Punching sand is certainly not the best way to vent," he said.

"I'll keep that in mind," she replied, wincing as the Ouji applied ointment to her raw knuckles. He wrapped them in gauze afterward.

"Any other wounds?" he asked, eying her carefully.

"Those two were probably the only major ones. Everything else looks like this," she pointed to one of the many remaining scrapes on her body. Vegeta frowned.

"They'll heal up fast, though," she continued. Pan eyed the bandages on her hands warily.

"The ointment is designed to speed up the healing process. That, coupled with your Saiya-jin blood, should be enough to have you in reasonable shape tomorrow," he offered, hoping the words would be comforting to some degree. Pan gave him a small smile. It was then her stomach chose to make itself known. Pan covered her noisy stomach with one bandaged hand. Vegeta smirked.

"Turning Super Saiya-jin for the first time can really work up one's appetite," he said. Pan took it as a compliment. She tried to stand to go get something to eat, but Vegeta pushed her back onto the bed.

"What?" she asked with confusion clear in her voice.

"Do you honestly believe you'll be able to make anything, let alone bring it to your mouth to eat with your hands bandaged like that?" he asked knowingly. Pan blushed.

"I could always ask Bra or my uncle to help me out," she said. He frowned.

"Do you think me incapable of completing such a task?" he questioned.

"Well no, but I didn't think you'd want to baby me or any--" Vegeta cut her off with a kiss. Her eyes widened, but soon she relaxed into him. When his tongue slid across her lower lip, Pan felt a little nervous. She was still new to all of this, but her lips seemed to part of their accord, allowing Vegeta entrance to the promised heat of her mouth. Pan couldn't contain the moan that escaped her lips. Their tongues battle a little longer before Vegeta finally pulled away, leaving Pan flushed and breathless. He smirked in triumph.

"Now what were you saying?" he teased.

"I, uh, I don't remember," she admitted bashfully. Vegeta chuckled as he got off her bed.

"Stay here. I'll be back in a bit," he said. Pan simply nodded. When he left and the door closed behind him, Pan allowed herself to fall back on her bed. She sighed and smiled. Kissing was something she could really get used to. Her eyes drifted close and she rested for a while.

* * *

Akki paced in the main room of his wounded castle. Kain and Ziust knelt before him in obedience, waiting for him to allow them up. He sighed.

"Rise," he commanded. The two complied and he continued, "Do you know why you're both here?"

"We failed to bring the girl to you," Kain answered. Ziust rolled his eyes.

"Yes, it seems my pets got to her before either of you could retrieve her," Akki went on. Kain was ready to blame the situation on Ziust entirely, but his younger brother continued.

"Kain, brother, you took far too long to tie Vegeta up, which prevented you from helping Ziust, who was incapable of taking on four bumbling mixed breeds. It seems I was wrong to entrust the two of you with such an imperative task," he went on. Kain readied himself for the punishment he assumed his brother was close to dealing.

"Normally, this would put me in a terrible mood. However, I have discovered something marvelous, though slightly unsettling," Akki smiled and stopped pacing. Ziust and Kain waited patiently for him to continue.

"Ziust, it seems that your favorite nuisance had a power hidden within her that found its way out when she assumed Bra to be dead. Pan has become a Super Saiya-jin," he stated, staring at Ziust intently. The lizard only scowled in response. Kain seemed to be paying better attention than his partner.

"Master," he began, "what do you mean when you say Pan assumed Bra was dead? We watched her die with our own eyes. The demônios took her."

"It certainly seemed that way, did it not? That doesn't change the facts though, Kain. Though you and Ziust left the room when Bra fell, I stayed to see the fight through. I watched Pan's transformation, and I watched Bra open her eyes. The Hime is alive, and I want her more than ever now. She has eluded me for the last time. We are returning to Chikyuu. I will not be as kind as I've been in the past. We will wait a little while before leaving, since our ship is much faster than anything they could have, but after that, I will not allow them to stretch my patience any thinner. I suggest you ready yourselves," he ordered. Ziust stepped forward, clearly needing to speak. Akki acknowledged him with a permissive stare.

"Why are we waiting? If we leave now, we can get there before them and catch them by surprise when they land. I don't see any reason to wait," he said. Akki could detect the undertones of hunger in Ziust's voice. He knew the lizard was eager to finally conquer the elusive Pan.

"You make a good point, Ziust, but my plans call for something different. I plan to arrive shortly before them so we can capture those closest to them so they can watch the final show. However, this time, I will be there to make sure our enemies don't make a crafty escape this time," he said. Ziust grew angry at his master's love of toying with people. He knew that the element of surprise was what they needed.

"You doubt my plan, Ziust?" Akki asked after closely studying his underling's face. Ziust made eye contact but said nothing.

"I understand your vendetta, but this is not about you, friend. I promise I will leave Pan to you, but you must leave the planning to me. But I will explain myself to keep you in good faith. When they arrive on Chikyuu, the first thing they will do is look around for us. I'm certain they will be paranoid. After they realize we aren't around, they will relax slightly, though it will be a minute change. The next thing they will think to do is return to their loved ones. However, when they go to their homes, they will see that everyone they care about is missing. Panic will set in and their judgment will become altered. When they find us, which I will allow them to do, they won't be thinking clearly. Rage will be the only emotion they can cling to, but they will be forced to do what we ask to protect their loved ones. I want to see them squirm. I want to make them suffer for trying my patience so. And to answer the question I know you wish to ask again, Ziust, we are waiting so I do not have to keep up with their family members for long. It took Vegeta and company almost three days to get here, so we will leave tomorrow night. This way, we will arrive before them, and we won't have to wait around on their disgusting planet for long. It will also give Kain just enough time to prepare for the ceremony," Akki explained eloquently. Ziust didn't argue further, having tuned most of what Akki said out after being promised Pan. Akki chose then to leave the room and prepare himself for the journey ahead.

* * *

Vegeta walked toward the kitchen, taking in his surroundings subconsciously along the way. Bra and Goten were chatting and snacking. Trunks was lounging in the cockpit, having launched the ship earlier. He walked to his son.

"Did you speak to your mother yet?" he asked.

"Yes, she gathered everyone in the house, and I told them all what happened. Gohan is on the lookout for Akki and the others, but I think he's the only one that really stands a chance. The other fighters are just too old," Trunks answered. Vegeta nodded in agreement. He knew the other fighters were getting on in their years. As humans, they aged much faster than he did. Even those who had only a fraction of Saiya-jin blood in their veins had much longer life spans promised to them. He smirked as his thoughts drifted to Pan. Then he remembered why he came downstairs. He walked briskly into the kitchen area. When he passed Bra, he noticed that she was clean and bandaged, most likely with the help of Goten. Bra smiled widely at him, clearly in a good mood. He inwardly groaned at the thought of what they did while Goten bandaged her, especially after what he and Pan did. Vegeta quickly grabbed food and returned to the second level of the ship.

When he opened Pan's door, he found her sleeping lightly. Her hair fell all around her and her mouth was open slightly. He could hear her light breathing. The Ouji set the food he brought on the stand near her bed. Then he sat down next to her and observed her sleeping form carefully. As if she could feel him staring, Pan opened her eyes slowly. Though seeing Vegeta right as she woke up wasn't unwelcome, she found it odd that he was staring at her so intently. She blinked a few times more before speaking.

"Do I have something on my face?" she asked. Vegeta lowered the intensity of his gaze but continued to watch her slowly wake up. She sat up and stretched. Her stomach growled again, and she laughed. Vegeta finally stopped staring and grabbed the food he had placed nearby. Pan all but drooled when she could see and smell what was in front her. Vegeta had brought her chicken nuggets, fries, grapes, and an assortment of other finger foods. Since her thumbs had been wrapped up with her hands, she knew it'd be difficult to eat. She looked at Vegeta, then back to her food, then back to Vegeta. Pan certainly didn't want Vegeta to watch as she embarrassed herself while trying to eat. She sighed. With a fierce determination, she looked to the plate of chicken nuggets. The raven haired Saiya-jin took both her hands and tried to cup them together to scoop up one of the nuggets. When she caught one between her hands, she brought it toward her mouth, but it fell into her lap before it made it to her mouth. She huffed angrily. Vegeta watched her in amusement, though he didn't show it to avoid angering Pan. He saw her face light up shortly afterward. Her tail appeared from under her blanket and reached for the fallen morsel. She successfully wrapped her tail around it, but still couldn't bring it to her mouth. It fell in her lap again. She slapped it away in her anger. It hit Vegeta in the chest and fell back onto her bed. Pan looked up at her sensei, wide eyed. He stared down at her, zero emotion on his face. She couldn't take it. A small chuckle resounded from the small Saiya-jin, which eventually turned into a jovial laughter. Vegeta picked up the offensive nugget and popped it into his mouth, which stopped Pan's laughter completely.

"Hey, that was mine," she pouted.

"It didn't look like you were going to eat it," Vegeta teased, stealing another nugget. Pan sneered at him.

"I was going to eat it. It was just taking a little while," she said weakly.

"Oh really?" he quirked his brow.

"Yes, really," she said, crossing her arms and looking away. He stole yet another nugget from her.

"Hey, stop that! There won't be anything left for me to eat!" she complained.

"Then I suggest you start eating," he said snidely. Pan frowned.

"I will, just give me a minute. Don't you have to go train or something?" she asked, hoping he would leave so she could just stick her face in the food and eat it that way.

"Not right now. I'm resting from my battle," he teased.

"Good, because I'm suddenly not hungry anymore," she lied. Her stomach sought to disprove her. It growled the loudest growl it could muster. Pan blushed profusely. 'Traitor,' she thought to her stomach.

"You are, are you?" he continued.

"Yes, my stomach is just acting up," she tried.

"Don't kid yourself," he laughed. Pan glared at him. She hated that he was teasing her so much. He picked up yet another of her chicken nuggets.

"Go ahead and eat it, see if I care," she huffed. However, the Ouji didn't bring it to his mouth. Instead, he extended his arm and held it in front of her. Pan stared down her nose at it, wondering what kind of mean trick he was going to play. She eyed him warily.

"Are you hungry or not?" he asked impatiently. Her stomach answered for her. She opened her mouth slowly and leaned forward to accept his offering. Vegeta was slightly dumbfounded as he watched Pan take the nugget from his hand with her mouth. She chewed it quickly and looked to him when she finished. He snapped out of it and promptly offered her another one. Pan certainly hadn't missed his reaction though. She fought the urge to grin. After she ate all the chicken nuggets, he fed her the fries then moved to the grapes. This was when Pan decided to make her carefully calculated move. When he held a grape before her, she leaned forward and captured it in her mouth, making sure to brush her tongue along his fingers as she did so. Then she looked up at Vegeta.

He swallowed hard and grabbed another grape to offer her. She had no idea what she was doing to him. No idea at all. Certainly she was teasing him on purpose, but she probably wasn't aware of how badly he wanted her. And that look she shot him! The grape burst in his hand when he tightened his grip in excitement, covering his fingers with its juices. Pan felt herself lean forward and lick each finger clean. It was like an out of body experience for her. She had never tried to be sexy for anyone. She had never tried to tease anyone the way she teased Vegeta. She had no idea what had come over her. Vegeta seemed to like it though, which was certainly a good motivator. But something primal inside her told her she wanted him badly. She grew hot and felt an ache between her legs. A small blush crept onto her cheeks, but it didn't deter her. Vegeta sat in shock as she licked his digits clean. There was only so much he could take.

With one swift motion, he swiped the remaining food off her bed and crawled over her. He captured her lips in a heated kiss, which Pan returned in full. Her bandaged hands found their way around his neck. She moaned as she felt his hands run up and down her sides. He just couldn't help himself.

They heard a gasp and both looked to the door to see what happened. Bra stood in the opened doorway, mouth agape. Vegeta jumped off Pan, and Bra ran to her room. Pan pursued her quickly, leaving Vegeta alone in her room. He cursed. Pan followed her friend and just barely caught the door in time when Bra tried to slam it. Since she was stronger, Pan managed to pry the door open and force her way inside. The Hime slapped Pan viciously across the face.

"How could you do that, Pan Son?" she yelled. Pan didn't seem affected by her attack.

"Bra, you have to listen to me!" Pan pleaded.

"How could you? After all that time you spent telling me that my mom was such a good person, how could you betray her like that? How could you come onto my dad like that?" Bra cried.

"You need to give me a chance to explain, Bra," Pan said calmly. It didn't seem like her friend wanted to listen. Bra readied another strike to Pan's face, but it was blocked. Vegeta stood between the two, holding Bra by the wrist.

"Vegeta-sama," Pan gasped.

"Daddy, why are you defending her? She's trying to come between you and mom!" Bra yelled.

"Bra!" Vegeta barked, successfully silencing his daughter, "Sit down."

He released her and she took a seat on her bed. Vegeta closed and locked the door as Bra stared daggers at Pan. He leaned against the door. The room was small, so he wasn't too far from the other two. Pan stood only feet from her friend.

"Explain yourself, Pan," Bra seethed.

"She won't be the one explaining this," Vegeta said. Bra looked to him, clearly confused.

"Daddy?" she questioned, her voice shaky.

"Bra, listen carefully because I am only going to say this once," he commanded. Bra had no choice but to obey. She remained silent.

"Your mother and I were never officially together. Though she gave me you and Trunks, she had already given her heart to Yamcha. I'm sure you noticed this. I'm not certain why she came to me at all, but she did. That doesn't mean she is a bad person, though. She took me in, let me live and train in her house, and gave me two children. But we were never in love. She would tell you the same if you asked," he explained. Bra stood. She stared at Pan carefully before backhanding her again. She new Pan could have blocked it if she wanted to, but the blow connected.

"How could you do this to me? He's my father!" she cried.

"Bra, you have to understand. I didn't do it to hurt you. I care about Vegeta, he's th--" Bra swung at her again, but Pan wouldn't have it.

"No more," she commanded, her voice deadly, "You have to listen to me. You of all people should understand this. After all, you want my uncle, or have you forgotten?"

She shoved Bra away but not too forcefully. Vegeta watched carefully, admiring that passion of Pan's that he adored so.

"But, but he's my dad! Goten isn't your dad!" Bra's argument began to weaken, and Pan knew she was only keeping it up now because of her inherited pride. She looked to Vegeta briefly.

"Bra, I didn't choose him because he's your dad, I chose him because he's Vegeta, just like you chose my uncle only because he is who he is. I know it's weird for you, and I wish it wasn't, but I'm not going to stop feeling this way because it's awkward for you. I promise you though, I didn't do this to spite you," she explained. Bra knew she was sincere, Pan was a terrible liar. She couldn't blame her friend for following her heart, after all, that's what led her to Goten. She hated to concede, but it had to be done. With a sigh she looked Pan in the eye, the hatred no longer there.

"Look, I'm sorry. I just, it's just. Well, it's weird. You can't blame me for thinking it's weird. But you're right. I can't blame you for falling for a guy who happens to be my daddy. I shouldn't have hit you either, especially since you saved my life just recently. I don't know what I was thinking. I mean, I wasn't really thinking at all," she explained. Pan shrugged and smiled broadly. Bra smiled back and turned to her father.

"Daddy," she started, "why didn't you and mom tell me? Don't you think I had a right to know?" she asked.

"Your mother wasn't sure that I knew. She thought it'd be best if we all remained in the dark. I don't blame her, though. It kept a lot of unnecessary drama out of our lives. And most importantly, she did it to protect you and your brother," he answered. Bra processed the information, looking for flaws in his argument but found none. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. When she reopened her eyes, she felt relaxed. She turned back to Pan.

"Pan-chan, I'm really, really sorry for hitting you and saying all those things. Can you ever forgive me?" the Hime pleaded. Pan laughed and put an arm behind her head in the typical Son fashion.

"Of course I can forgive you! I mean, I can't really blame you for thinking I was breaking up a healthy relationship. I even felt bad about liking your dad at first, but since he and Bulma aren't involved, it doesn't seem so bad. I just hope Bulma doesn't get mad at me," Pan trailed off. Bra's eyes widened as she remembered something, something she had even brought up in their recent conversation. Pan glanced knowingly at her friend.

"Daddy, there's something I feel you need to know, regardless of how true it might be," she started, looking to Pan who guessed what was coming next. Vegeta's attention was clearly on his daughter now.

"When Akki held me prisoner, he told me something terrible. He told me that mom was only with you to produce noble blooded children he could use for that ritual he was going to do to gain immortality," she said. Vegeta had planned to ask Bra about her time spent as Akki's captive, but he was going to wait a day. He realized that was a mistake.

"She what?" he roared.

"Calm down, daddy. Like Pan told me before, Akki probably told me that to get me against mom," she added, but Vegeta wasn't listening. The gears in his mind were turning. Bulma had said she'd seen Akki before on Namek, but she also said that Dende told her who he was. There was an easy way to see if that was true. Then there was the fact that she knew where exactly Iroka was, though she claimed the scouter she found had been connected to an intergalactic mainframe. While that was true, he didn't realize Bulma knew how to speak all the languages necessary to navigate such a large mainframe. And then there was the unexplained night sessions he had with her. Clearly she was attracted to Yamcha, yet she randomly bedded with him. At first he assumed it was to spite Yamcha when he misbehaved, but now it seemed that the reason was much more sinister. He needed to get to the bottom of this, and he needed to do it immediately. Vegeta stormed out of the room and went to the cockpit, Pan and Bra close behind.

When he made his presence known on the first level of the ship, Trunks and Goten looked to him. Pan and Bra were hurrying to catch up with him. Vegeta sat in one of the chairs in the cockpit and typed a few commands. The view screen popped up and an image of Bulma appeared on it.

"Oh, Vegeta, what's up?" she asked.

"I'd like to ask you the same thing," was his retort. The harsh glare he shot her was frightening and something she hadn't seen since the first few years she knew him.

"What are you talking about, what's wrong Vegeta?" the worry in her voice was genuine, but Vegeta didn't falter.

"You betrayed me, your betrayed our children!" he roared. Goten and Trunks walked up to the cockpit to watch. They were too shocked by Vegeta's yelling to ask one of the girls what was happening. Bulma looked around in a panic. Vegeta knew.

"You don't understand, Vegeta. I did what--" he cut her off aggressively.

"So you did lie? You did turn your back on all of us? Where is your honor? I thought you were better than this! I actually defended your name just minutes ago!" he snarled.

"Wait, let me explain. You have to understand. I know it looks bad, but if you listen, you'll know that I did what I had to do," she petitioned. Vegeta scowled and looked away from her. Bulma took it as her only opportunity to redeem herself.

"It's going to sound bad at first, so you have to hear me out all the way. I did meet Akki on Namek, but it wasn't Dende who told me about him. When I was hiding while the others were fighting, Akki found me and demanded to know where the Dragonballs were. I told him you were all fighting Frieza, who had most of them in his possession. He told me that was unacceptable. Then he grabbed me by the throat and made his offer. He said he knew all about you, Vegeta. He knew you were the noble of a dead race. He also watched that brief interaction between us. You remember, when you kind of flirted with me. I guess he assumed there was something between us, because he demanded that I sleep with you and give him a pure, noble blooded child. I agreed so he would spare me. He swore that he was more than capable of making good on his threat. At first I didn't believe him, but after everyone was wished back, before I invited you to stay at my house, he came to me again and threatened to kill everyone close to me if I didn't do as he said. So I invited you to stay and made Trunks with you. I didn't want to give him away though, I promise. Trunks, I love you so much. But Akki came to me again and told me to keep quiet and that he would be back when Trunks had matured. Something about maturing his powers was in there too. But when he came back again, he said Trunks wasn't pure anymore and I had to try again. So we had Bra. Then he came for her and I just don't know," she was sobbing before she even finished, clearly ashamed of herself. She felt terrible. How could she have turned her back on everyone like that? How could she have been so underhanded? She hated herself, and she knew the closest thing she had to a family hated her now, too.

Everyone aboard the ship was dead silent. The news was so shocking. Both Trunks and Bra felt dirty, used. Had they really only been born to be used as sacrifices? Bulma could see their questioning stares.

"I promise," she hiccupped, "I didn't just have you two to give to that monster. I wanted children so badly, but Yamcha never wanted to commit to that. When Vegeta gave me the two of you, I forgot about Akki entirely until he came back to speak to me. You two have brought me so much happiness, which is why I couldn't just let Akki take you away! Trunks, do you remember that girl, your first?"

Trunks nodded, blushing as he did so.

"Do you remember how you met her? I introduced the two of you. I wanted to make you useless to Akki. Bra, I'm so sorry I couldn't help you somehow, but I was working on it. I didn't know he'd come so soon though. He had stayed away for so long. I put it off like a fool. I'm so sorry," she continued bawling. Pan watched her carefully, judging her intentions. She was very good at judging people in times like these, a trait she no doubt inherited from her grandfather.

"Bulma, I think you're telling the truth, and I believe you when you say you're sorry," Pan announced over the crying. Bulma looked up at the screen again.

"After all the years I've known you, it's obvious to me that you love your children and never had any intention to just give them away. In fact, I think that's why you built the Gravity Room, so Vegeta could get strong enough to defeat Akki when the time came. Bulma Briefs, you're a good woman," Pan declared in a very Son like fashion. It was as if Goku was standing there instead of Pan. Bulma stared wide eyed at the young Saiya-jin, both grateful and confused. Despite the tears that rolled down her cheeks, Bulma smiled a small gracious smile. Vegeta wanted to stay mad at her. He wanted to blame all their troubles on her. If she hadn't done what she'd done, they wouldn't be in the mess they were in. However, if she hadn't done what she did, they would have all been killed by Akki long ago. Bulma had made the best strategic decision and had helped them all get stronger every chance she got. There was no way around it. Bulma Briefs really was a good woman. Vegeta had to concede.

"I agree. Bulma, what you did was underhanded, but it was all you could do. I can't hold it against you. I've done much worse in my time," he admitted. Bulma thought she'd die of shock hearing such a thing from the Saiya-jin no Ouji. He actually forgave her? The others nodded in agreement. They all were willing to move past it in order to protect one another. It would take a while to get over it, but they were willing to give Bulma another chance. More tears came, but they were of happiness.

"I don't know what to say," she cried.

"There's no reason to say anything. Just stay on guard, mother. Please, be safe," Trunks said. He was unusually calm through the whole ordeal. Pan didn't find it too surprising though, he was more of his calculating mother than emotion driven father. She smiled briefly, for to the untrained eye, it seemed that Vegeta was the calculating one and Bulma the emotional one.

"I'll make it up to all of you, I promise," Bulma swore with unbridled confidence.

"We know you will, mom," Bra said.

"I love you all, even you over there Goten," she smiled at Goten, who was half hidden behind the others. He laughed nervously. With that, the screen cut out. The five Saiya-jins simply sat or stood in place for a moment, unsure of what to do.

Bra failed to stifle a yawn. She had certainly had a long day and it was now night time in terms of Chikyuu hours. Her yawn seemed to snap the others out of their momentary daze. Everyone left the cockpit and went their separate ways. Goten walked to the kitchen for a snack. That whole conversation had made him uncomfortable and eating relaxed him. Trunks took Vegeta's seat in the cockpit to check the systems before going to sleep. Bra, Pan, and Vegeta all went to the upper level to get some sleep. Pan walked into her room and found the food still on the floor. She tried to pick it up, but it just wasn't happening. So she formed a ki blast in her hand and fried it until it was nothing. Then she changed into a red tank top with a picture of the four star Dragonball on it and a long black pair of pajama pants. She stretched her still sore body before climbing slowly into bed. Her wounds were finally catching up to her now that she had time to slow down. A light knock sounded at her door. She groaned. 'I just got comfortable, so of course someone is at the door,' she complained to herself. Begrudgingly, she rose from her bed and walked to the door. When it opened, she was surprised to see Vegeta. Normally, he just barged in whenever he wanted.

"Ready for bed?" he asked with a smirk on his face. Pan was a bit taken aback by his confident demeanor. He found it odd, especially since she had been so physically active earlier in the day. Of course, he hadn't planned to try anything further. He knew Pan had to be tired after the day she had. It was easy to see in her eyes that he was right. She regained her composure and nodded. When the Ouji turned and walked to his room, Pan followed. She figured he chose his room because his bed had more room for the two of them to sleep comfortably. Pan practically collapsed at the sight of such a comfortable bed. She leaned over on Vegeta who understood her exhaustion. He picked her up and carried her the rest of the way to his bed. She was asleep before he even laid her down. He lay down next to her and pulled her close to him.

"Sleep well, Super Saiya-jin," he whispered. Her tail wrapped around one of his arms in response. He fell asleep shortly after.

* * *

Wow, it's been a long time since I've updated. To everyone who still reads this, thank you very much, and I hope the wait was worth it.


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